The Beach House
by GrandmaCleverboots
Summary: This is my entry for the 2015 Klaine Reverse Bang! Challenge. The artwork is by Riverance. Kurt is rushing home in a thunderstorm and finds a small boy cowering in fear from the storm. Blaine goes to pick up his son from daycare only to find they have left him behind when the storm hit. Can one little boy reunite two estranged lovers who have lost their way in the world?
1. Chapter 1 - Lost

**The Beach House – Chapter One – Lost**

 **Near J Hood Wright Park, Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York – 2022**

Walking down the sidewalk in his neighborhood in New York City, the rain was pouring down on Kurt in buckets. He had checked the weather report this very morning, happy to see it was expected to stay bright and sunny well into tomorrow. So much for the weather man predicting the future.

Kurt hadn't brought his umbrella or rain coat, and he was wearing his new British tweed sports jacket, the one on which he had meticulously sewn buckles and straps and reconstructed the lapels to make it look more fashion forward. He had done the redesign one evening and the result was something he was very proud of. Redesigning clothes filled a void in Kurt, one that had opened up a big, empty space when he'd had the terrible break-up with his boyfriend, Blaine, six years ago. He denied that he was still lonely – even to himself - but then, he'd been lying to himself for years.

As the storm rained down around him, Kurt realized that the imported wool wouldn't stand up to a heavy rain. His mind, always busy, came up with a question he couldn't answer: if wool shrinks when it gets wet, why doesn't it shrink when it's still on the sheep?

Thunder rumbled and he knew he'd never make it home before his suit jacket was ruined so he hurried to huddle under a picnic pavilion in the park, trying to stay out of the downpour. He had considered taking off the jacket and making a rush for home, but it had turned too cold for that to be more than a passing thought. So here he was, jammed between an old picnic table and the metal wall of the shelter. He was trying to stay dry under the loud thundering sounds of the rain hitting the galvanized metal roof.

The wind started to blow harder, whipping the rain into the shelter of the picnic pavilion and Kurt mumbled a curse and saw there was a dry spot at the back, adjacent to another picnic table, some debris and a large metal trashcan. He scrambled over to it, hoping there was enough shelter to stop the cold rain. The wind was bad enough.

He sat down on one of the benches behind the table. The man was tired and upset and just wanted to go home, have a hot bath and get into his warm bed. If it was still cold, he might let Piers into his bed and have a cuddle. The cat seemed to have a sixth sense about when Kurt needed a snuggle.

"Nggghhh...[sniff, sniff]" Kurt heard during a break in the sound of the wind and crashes of thunder. He glanced around, searching for the source of the sound.

Leaning against the back wall, neglecting the state of his clothing in favor of trying to locate the pitiful sound, Kurt began to get worried. It was difficult in the wind and rain, but crouching down he saw a very small pair of kletter boots sticking out from behind a large trash barrel and the noise of quiet sobbing got a bit louder.

"Hey, why are you hiding behind the trash can? Are you lost, honey?" Kurt asked the boots. He heard the little tyke take a deep breath and the sobbing got quieter.

"Come on out, I think I can help you," Kurt coaxed. He moved closer and tried to see behind the trash can to the murky corner of the muddy floor.

"I'm cold," the tiny voice said.

"Come out and I can take you somewhere warm, okay?" he asked again.

"Can you get Daddy?" the voice asked. When Kurt said he could, the little boots came out of their hiding place and a small boy was standing in the darkening afternoon. Kurt looked at him and his breath stuck in his throat. The small boy was around three years old, but very small. He had golden skin and a mop of loose curly hair that hung in his eyes, sopping wet from the cold rain. He was dressed in a pair of dark green corduroy pants and a short-sleeved button-down oxford shirt. The shirt was yellow with pale green pin stripes. The cutest thing was that the boy was wearing red suspenders with a matching red bow tie, sagging in the wet weather. Kurt held out his hands and the boy looked at him with suspicion.

"Hey, buddy, can you tell me your name? You asked me to find your daddy – but first I need your name," Kurt tried. He didn't want to scare the little guy, but he didn't want him to scream and bring someone to accuse Kurt of some crime, either.

"Daniel Zebulon Anderson."

Kurt's heart went up to his throat and started beating like crazy. Anderson? This child was the split-image of someone Kurt used to know. He had to get closer to see the boy's eyes. They were a striking golden hazel and his eyelashes framed them like Bambi.

"What can I do to help?" Kurt asked, seeing that the tiny boy was shivering in the cold.

"I'm cold and I want Daddy. Daddy is warm," the boy sniffled, pushing his dark curls from his face and looking into Kurt's eyes with misery and fear.

Kurt took off his new sport coat and offered it to the boy. Daniel ran to him, wrapping himself in the warmth of the offered jacket. He took a deep breath and then looked at Kurt.

"Who are you?" the small boy asked, then gasped. "Are you my guardian angel?"

"My name is Kurt Hummel. You can call me Kurt. How about you warm up for a few minutes and I'll call the policeman to come help us?" Kurt said, searching in his pocket for his cell phone.

"No! Call Daddy. _Please?_ "

"Do you know the number?" Kurt asked. The little boy rattled off ten numbers very quickly in a sing-song voice. Kurt punched them into his phone and waited. The boy leaned against him.

"Tell Daddy to hurry, please mister, I'm scared."

Kurt opened his arms and the boy scrambled up on his lap just as a loud crash of thunder rocked the shelter. Daniel jumped in shock and looked around, his eyes landing on Kurt's. The boy snuggled closer to Kurt who held the little boy next to his chest to give him some comfort.

His phone was dead.

"Hey, for some reason my cell phone isn't working, Daniel. Is it okay if you come with me to my house?" Kurt asked. The little boy put his head down on Kurt's shoulder, answering with just his sobbing and asking Kurt to take him to his daddy.

Kurt wrapped the boy inside his tweed jacket and held him close as he quickly walked the three blocks to his apartment. He fumbled with his keys, finding the right one and letting himself into the small apartment across from the park on 173rd. Daniel cowered against him, looking out from under the jacket to see where he was.

"This is my apartment," Kurt said, beginning to worry because the boy was shivering in his wet clothes.

"Let's get you some dry clothes, okay?" Kurt asked, setting the small boy down on the sofa and heading towards his bedroom. He returned with an old T-shirt, some towels, and a blanket. He helped the small boy off with his sopping wet clothes down to his underwear – which had stayed relatively dry under the thick corduroy pants. After toweling him off, Kurt put the warm shirt on Daniel, although it was miles too big, and set him back on the sofa.

"Here, let me see what we can do..." Kurt hummed, getting out his sewing kit. With scissors, a bit of thread, and a ribbon Kurt was able to make the old T-shirt into a serviceable nightshirt that fit Daniel. Then he wrapped the small wool-blend blanket wrapped around him for warmth.

"I have a few things to do here, I need to put your things in the drier, and plug in my phone so I can make some calls. Are you hungry?" Kurt asked. The youngster nodded. "How about some lunch?"

Daniel nodded again.

Kurt plugged his phone into its charger and changed his own clothes which were also soaking wet. He went to the laundry room to put everything into the dryer, then headed to the kitchen to make something to eat.

A short time later, Kurt set two bowls of soup on the dining table along with glasses of milk and some crackers.

"Here, I can set a phone book on the chair so you can reach the table," Kurt offered. The small boy seemed content to be lifted to his seat.

"What kind of soup is this, Mr Kurt?" he asked.

"It's chicken and rice. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I like chicken and rice. Daddy makes it for me. He puts soy sauce in it. Do you have a bottle of soy sauce like Daddy?"

"I do have soy sauce. Can you pour it yourself or shall I?" Kurt asked. He was not used to three year olds and wasn't sure how much this little guy was capable of doing.

"You do it," Daniel said, giving Kurt a small, shy smile. "Please," he remembered to say.

They ate their lunch and Kurt carried the boy back to the sofa once more.

"I have to go potty. Now," Daniel said, looking very uncomfortable.

"Okay, it's right in here," Kurt said, carrying the boy to the bathroom and setting him down.

"Do you need help?"

"Just lifting me up," Daniel said, raising his arms for Kurt to pick him up. Daniel had pulled his underwear down and Kurt pulled up the large T-shirt, then set the boy on the seat, holding him so he didn't fall in. He heard the satisfying noise of the boy urinating and waited for him to be done before walking him back to the sofa.

He checked his cell and was grateful to find two bars on the face.

"My phone is ready. Can you tell me your phone number again?"

* * *

 **Best Pals Daycare, Washington Heights, New York City, the same day**

Blaine Anderson was beside himself with anger and worry. He had been bringing his son to Best Pals Daycare Center for three months and everything seemed to be fine. Today when he went to pick him up, however, he was not in his classroom.

"I don't have the time to argue with you, Miss Levine. Where is my son?" he asked, barely able to keep his temper in check after questioning the teacher and the director for the last fifteen minutes.

"Ah, that's is why we've been trying to call you. He was part of the group that went to the park for playtime today. When the storm came so suddenly, the teachers gathered the children and...well, it was chaos out in the storm. We have many employees at the park looking for your son," the teacher said, tears swelling her eyes.

"Let me get this straight. You LOST my three year old son in a public park in New York Fucking City?" he shouted. "What park? Have you called the police?"

"Now, stay calm, Mr. Anderson. J Hood Wright Park, just down on 175th. We will find him."

"Did you call the police?" Blaine asked again.

"We were just going to do that..." Miss Levine said, her hands shaking.

"How long has he been missing?" Blaine wanted to know.

"Only a few hours..." she whispered.

"He's been lost for _**hours**_ and you didn't think you needed to call the police?" Blaine asked, stunned by the shock of that. "Shit. How are you running a daycare facility?"

He walked over a few steps and got out his cell phone and called the police himself. When he got off the phone he asked where exactly his son was last seen. He ignored the teacher's attempts to explain or try to calm him and turned on his heel and left the building.

The park was a few blocks away from the daycare and Blaine ran the whole way. He met a squad of New York's finest arriving at about the same time he did. The weather didn't let up a bit – the rain was still coming down in torrential waves that made visibility almost impossible. He was introduced to the officer in charge, a large man and older than any of the others there.

"Mr. Anderson, does your son have any ID on him?" Officer Moynihan asked. "Does he know his full name and his phone number?" the burly policeman asked, waiting in a pavilion away from the worst of the rain.

"Yes, he can say his name and my phone number. He isn't a shy kid, but he is only three years old, so he's probably scared," Blaine said, "He's so small..." he added, still searching with his eyes as he watched the policemen walking up and down the grass, looking in trash cans and behind bushes and trees. Blaine thought the boy would be smart enough to seek out shelter, so he continued to look in each corner and nook of the pavilion before moving to the next as he spoke with Officer Moynihan.

"Sir, we've posted a state-wide Amber alert. We think we'll be able to find him quicker that way," the officer told the stricken father. Blaine took in a deep breath. He was terrified that something had happened to Daniel.

"Thank-you. Do you think it makes the chances of finding him less because the daycare didn't report him missing for several _hours_?" Blaine asked, though he knew the answer.

"The sooner the alert goes out the better chance of finding a child, but this is a unique circumstance. It is probable that he wandered away from the group and wasn't kidnapped."

Blaine blanched. Up until that moment the thought that someone kidnapped his son hadn't entered his mind. A cold shiver went up his spine. He had to find his boy.

"Could he have been picked up by your wife?" Moynihan asked.

"I don't have a wife. Or a husband. Daniel is mine alone. I have never been married," Blaine explained. The officer blushed. He knew better than to assume anything or to phrase his questions that way, he was just worried about the little boy. He had seen the picture Blaine gave them – a small-for-his-age boy with big hazel eyes and a mop of unruly black curls. He was a darling kid, a face like an angel with long eyelashes, cupid's bow lips, and rosy cheeks that framed his sweet smile.

"We're doing everything we can, Mr Anderson, and we won't stop until we find him," Moynihan assured the distraught father.

* * *

Kurt checked his cell phone to see if it had charged enough that he was finally able to use it. He knew the boy's family was probably overcome with fright not knowing where their son was, so he called the number the boy gave him first.

"Hello?"

"Ah, hello. I am calling because I found a small boy in the storm. He gave me this num..."

"Daniel! Where is he? Is he okay? Where are you?" the frantic voice came back through the phone, shaking Kurt up. This voice sounded desperate.

"I...umm...I found him in the park, he was so wet and cold...he was shivering but my phone was dead and there was nobody around. I brought him to my apartment, he was so cold and upset. I put the charger on the phone and called as soon as I could..." Kurt stuttered. "Here's my address..." he said, then gave the man his address on 173rd.

"I'm just three blocks from there – I'll be there in a few minutes. Can I talk to Daniel?" Blaine asked as he started to run towards 173rd. Kurt put the phone on speaker and told the boy his father was on the phone.

"Daddy?" the tiny voice came over the phone, making Blaine's body shake with relief.

"Danny Boy, are you okay?" he asked, hanging on each word as he grabbed Officer Moynihand's coat on his way by and pulled him close. He hit the speaker function on his phone.

"I'm okay now, Daddy. Mr. Kurt fed me chicken and rice soup and let me wear his shirt. It's too big on me, but my clothes were icky wet. Am I in trouble for letting my stuff get wet, Daddy?" the little boy asked, his voice shaky.

"No, son, you are not. I am coming right now to get you, honey. Don't worry, I'm coming," he said. If the name 'Kurt' brought up a distant memory, Blaine let it slide into the background at the joy of knowing his son was okay.

* * *

 **Six years earlier - New York City, 2016**

 _Kurt was standing on the curb in front of the theatre, tickets in one hand and fashionable walking stick in his other hand._

" _But Blaine, we agreed on going to the show tonight, didn't we?" Kurt asked._

" _You_ assumed _that. I got the text after my meeting and I had no time to get ready, much less plan anything. I have a job to do – the apartment is expensive and I need to work to hold up my part of the rent," Blaine stormed. "That on top of school..."_

 _The two men had moved to New York to attend college and they had lived in the dorms until just a few months ago. They had met in high school, dated, and planned to one day get married. Living together in the same apartment was supposed to be practice for that day, but it was not the paradise that they anticipated._

" _Remember last week we decided we needed to do something to let out all the stress? Well, I was just acting on that. A Broadway show, Blaine! What better way to unwind, right?" Kurt pleaded, his bright blue eyes seeking out his boyfriend's honey-amber ones._

" _Maybe, but where did you get the money to buy tickets to a first-run show actually on Broadway?" Blaine asked. He knew Kurt didn't have any spare money this week._

" _I switched around some of the household budget?" Kurt said in a shy voice. He knew Blaine didn't like it when he got creative with the finances._

" _Oh, Kurt. We've talked about this before. I can't work with money that isn't there, babe. I need to have it where it belongs so we can pay the utilities and the rent. Why do you keep doing things like this?" Blaine asked, exasperated at what he saw as Kurt's failure to take living together seriously._

" _I'm sorry." Kurt hung his head, feeling terrible that he had failed again. He just wanted Blaine happy like he used to be._

" _You always are. Don't you understand that we have to keep on budget, we have to be able to pay our bills? You are so irresponsible," Blaine sighed._

 _Kurt wilted. He knew he was wrong, but he'd had such high hopes of getting Blaine to smile once again._

" _Look, I am in no mood to go see a show tonight. I'm going to go home and try to get some work done. Maybe I can pick up some extra cash that way," Blaine said, glum and sullen._

" _Why are you always so depressing?" Kurt snapped back. "The world is not such an awful place, Blaine. Have you forgotten entirely how to have some fun? It just gets harder and harder to live with you." Kurt didn't mean it, and he would live to regret those words._

 _Blaine, tears in his eyes, his hand over his breaking heart, turned on his heel and walked quickly down the street. It was the last time Kurt saw him._

 _That night when Kurt got home, Blaine had left. There was nothing of Blaine's left in the apartment. Not so much as a crumb of Blaine's favorite bread. Nothing._

 _Kurt knew it was his fault. He had been lax in keeping up with the household accounts. Month after month he had played with the books, moving money from one account to another to try to pay the bills, but he and Blaine disagreed about the importance of certain things. Kurt included entertainment in a much more important category than the water bill. If he bought himself a new sweater, he also got a new pair of skinny jeans for Blaine to make it even. Then he hid the late notices for the utilities so Blaine wouldn't worry. They had come home twice in six months to find the electricity shut off._

 _Kurt looked for Blaine, calling all of his friends and scouting out all of the hang-outs that he and Blaine had frequented in New York. He had just evaporated. Kurt kept up the search, extending it to Ohio – phoning all of his old friends from Dalton and finally calling California to ask if Cooper had seen him. Cooper told Kurt to give up. What had been between Kurt and Blaine was obviously done. After that, he cried himself to sleep night after night until Rachel and Finn came to his rescue and forced Kurt to go home to his dad. Burt did his best to help and Kurt eventually returned to New York to finish school, but he was never the same again._

 _It was a year before he graduated from NYU and started by getting a job at Esquire Magazine, writing for the fashion department. He moved from the loft that he had shared with Blaine in Bedford-Stuyvesant to Washington Heights, but he could never let go of the place where he and Blaine had lived together._

 _Kurt had pursued his love of making prints and set up a workshop in the loft to make lithographs and became so successful that he was able to quit his job at Esquire and work for himself. He bought the loft, knowing he would never be able to let that last connection to Blaine go. Even though it was now full of printing equipment and high-end cameras and presses, he kept some of the things they had shared: among other things his first pair of Michael Parkes lithographs and a bronze harlequin lamp._

 _Nowadays Kurt was a busy man – too busy for romance. At least that's what he told himself. In the back of his mind, he knew for a fact hat he had lost the only man he could ever love._

* * *

 _The night of the fight, Blaine left New York after renting a small storage space for his things. He was heartbroken, but things with Kurt had only gotten worse and worse after they'd moved in together. It came to an end when Kurt lashed out at him in front of the Broadway theatre that night. It was broken – his relationship with the love of his life – and Blaine couldn't see his way past that. He packed the few things he needed, called a guy whose name he found on a flier on a lamp post and moved his things out before Kurt got home from the theatre that night. Then he went to the airport and bought a one-way ticket to California, hoping his brother would take him in._

 _Of course, Cooper welcomed his little brother with open arms. He helped Blaine transfer to UCLA and they shared a house on the beach for two years. Blaine was relatively happy living with his brother, but he missed the hustle and bustle of New York City almost as much as he missed Kurt. He finally said goodbye to Cooper and moved back to New York, settling in Upper Manhattan near Amsterdam Avenue in a nice apartment. It was cozy, but big enough for himself, an office to write in, and a guest room. It was close to a bookstore, a few delicatessens, restaurants, and a small park._

 _Blaine got a job as a nightclub singer to make ends meet as he worked on writing his play day after day. He sold his first script using a pseudonym to a prosperous off-Broadway producer and never looked back. He had been ghost writing plays ever since._

 _A year later, Blaine had still not dated anyone. He had friends, he went out on the town and danced and had a good time, but he was lonely. All he had ever wanted in his life was to marry Kurt Hummel and have a family with him. It was still in his heart, but he told himself that he would never be able to find Kurt now. He'd lost touch with all of the New Directions and the Warblers he still kept in contact with told him that they had no idea where Kurt might be._

 _Finally, Blaine began to worry that he might soon be too old to be good father and in the spring of 2019, he applied to a service that helped single people who wanted to have a child. They supplied a surrogate and Blaine supplied the sperm - and later that year his son was born._

 _Blaine felt as if his life was all he had hoped it would be when he took little Daniel home. He'd taken six months off of work to be the best dad he could be to his son and they bonded beautifully. Blaine couldn't help but think of Burt Hummel whenever he came to a crossroads of what to do with Daniel. Burt had been an inspiration to him, Blaine had thought he was probably the best example of a father he had ever come across. All the thoughts of Burt had stirred his mind to thoughts of Kurt and everything he had left behind. He'd regretted that night ever since, but he had no way of contacting Kurt and he wasn't confident enough to think Kurt would forgive him for running away._

 _While Daniel was the bright star in his life, after rocking the baby to sleep Blaine too often went to bed crying for what could have been._

 _It was when Daniel was three that Blaine thought he might do well in a daycare several days a week. Daniel was a bright boy, but he didn't have many children his age to play with. Blaine had read that letting children Daniel's age have exposure to a group of peers would help him to socialize when he was of school age. Blaine asked friends, read reviews, and finally decided on Best Pals as a daycare for his son. Everything went very well until the day he went to pick Daniel up and he was missing._


	2. Chapter 2 - Reunions

**The Beach House – Chapter Two - Reunions**

 **Kurt's Apartment,** **Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York – 2022**

Kurt was sitting in his living room, Daniel on his lap asleep. The poor kid had been afraid, plus endured being sopping wet, cold, and taken to a stranger's house. He was talking in his sleep, calling to his daddy and frowning from time to time. Kurt felt sad for the boy. He found himself cuddling him against his chest and when he ran a finger across his forehead to brush the curls from his eyes, Daniel smiled in his sleep.

Kurt studied the boy. He was surprisingly heavy for such a small child. He was so completely relaxed that when Kurt moved to get comfortable, Daniel didn't wake up. He had golden skin, so fresh and soft. Kurt hadn't been around little children much in his life, so this was new to him. The small boy had long lashes that spread across his cheeks like fans and a sweet mouth that relaxed when he was sleeping.

Kurt held him close, thinking about how much he would love to have a little boy like this. He'd dreamed of having a child one day. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door. Still holding the boy, he got up and made his way to the door.

He opened it awkwardly, trying not to disturb the sleeping three-year-old in his arms.

"Daniel!" Blaine said in a desperate voice as he saw his son in the arms of the man who had rescued him. He reached out to take him, but Kurt pulled back. Blaine's eyes went to the man holding his son. Kurt couldn't help but apologize, his eyes still on the sleeping child.

"Sorry – you're wet and he just got warm again...oh, I'm sorry. You must be Daniel's father?" Kurt said, then looked up to see the face -of his former fiancé.

Time stopped.

"Blaine?" Kurt murmured, staring at the man in front of him. There was a policeman behind him, but Kurt didn't even register anyone else.

Blaine stood mute, just staring right back at Kurt, his eyes wide and his mouth open in shock, his hand in front of his gaping mouth.

The policeman finally stepped up and addressed Kurt.

"Could I have your name, please?" he asked.

"Kurt Hummel."

"You found this boy?"

Kurt closed his eyes for a brief moment, then turned to Officer Moynihan, carefully keeping Daniel close to him, hugging him to keep him safe from the cold hallway and pulling the blanket up over the small boy's shoulders.

"Ah...yes, sir. I was hurrying home because of the rain – I had a new tweed jacket and I didn't want it to shrink. I stopped in a pavilion in the park when the rain got worse. I was in a back corner, behind a picnic table – the wind had come up and was blowing the rain under the shelter. I heard someone crying and found him, the little boy I mean – he was hiding behind a trash can and calling for his daddy. My phone was dead, so I brought him home to get warm while I charged my phone to call the police."

The policeman was making notes on a small pad of paper and nodded for Kurt to go on.

"I took his wet things off – he didn't even have a coat – and put this T-shirt on him," Kurt said and the officer raised an eyebrow as if to ask why he'd removed the young boy's clothes. Kurt realized what the look was inferring and scrambled to explain himself.

"He was just wringing wet, and he had begun to shiver. I was afraid he'd get pneumonia he was so cold. His underwear was still dry, so I left that on and just wrapped him in one of my shirts, then put him on the sofa with a blanket. He told me he was hungry, so I fed him some chicken soup. By then my phone was charged enough to make a call and he told me his father's number," Kurt finished.

Blaine watched this exchange and realized what the policeman was worried about. He turned to speak to Officer Moynihan.

"It's okay, I know this man. He wouldn't do anything to hurt my son. He's not like that," he tried to reassure the lawman.

Officer Moynihan nodded to Blaine, made a note and then went on with his questions.

"Just for the record – this is your son, Daniel, correct?" he asked and Blaine nodded. He went on to get more routine information for his report, writing it down on a pad, then gave each man his card. "Unless you have any questions, I will be on my way. I'm very happy this turned out so well. You have my card, Mr. Anderson, in case you need to get hold of me. Mr. Hummel, we might need to contact you for the paperwork if that's okay?" Kurt nodded.

Blaine turned and shook the man's hand. "Thank you for all of your help."

"All part of the job," the officer said as he took his leave.

Kurt stood still for another minute, then shook his head.

"Come in, come in..."

Blaine stepped into the living room, removing his coat so he could take Daniel in his arms. He set the coat on the floor, holding out his arms so he could take the little boy.

"He...ah...he was hungry," Kurt stammered. "I hope it was okay that I fed him some homemade chicken soup?" he said, not knowing what else to say. Seeing Blaine after all these years had his heart racing, his head spinning, and his muscles twitching.

"Of course, that was kind of you. He loves chicken soup," Blaine said. He was at a loss to find words. He continued to stand, still waiting for Kurt to hand him the boy. "Thank you, oh...thank you so much for taking care of my son... Daniel is my life. I couldn't keep on if I didn't have him." Blaine closed his eyes.

"I understand," Kurt said, nodding at the sofa for Blaine to sit.

When Blaine sat down, Kurt leaned over to reluctantly put the sleeping child in his lap. Blaine hugged Daniel close, kissing the boy's hair.

Kurt stood frozen, watching how much Blaine loved his son. It brought tears to his eyes thinking what it would be like to be Blaine's husband, Daniel's other father. It was what he had always wanted, but now – some other man had that privilege.

"Ah...I'll go and see if his clothes are dry," Kurt said so he could escape the room. He didn't want Blaine to look up and see how much this was affecting him. Practically running, Kurt went into the laundry room and checked the dryer. Daniel's clothes were still wet, so Kurt turned the dryer back on and went to the sink. He looked at his face in the mirror there, seeing the red under his eyes where the tears had marked him. He turned on the cold water and splashed it up on his face. Switching the water off, he turned to get a face towel and saw Blaine standing in the doorway.

"Ah...the clothes were still wet. I reset it. It might be thirty more minutes before they're dry, then I can loan you a blanket to wrap him up in to get him home," Kurt said, trying to be cordial. He was trembling all over and wished he could just go to bed and hide under the blankets for a week.

"Daniel looks just like you, Blaine," Kurt said, just babbling the first thing that popped into his head.

It was hard to get the words out, especially his name. But there it was. Blaine just looked at him, a far-off gaze in his eyes. Kurt wondered if his former fiancé was even here with him.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked, beginning to worry.

Blaine blinked a few times, his jaw clenched and his eyes sharpened. Tears began to fall and the man stumbled as he stepped forward. Kurt rushed the few feet to hold him up as Blaine began to fall. Kurt's arms went around him, hugging him close to keep him from collapsing. Blaine's arms went around Kurt's neck and he held on tightly, but his knees were buckling and Kurt helped him to the floor. Kurt sat down next to his ex, searching his face to see what he could do to help him. This was such a mess.

Blaine held up his arms and pulled Kurt close. All he could whisper was "Kurt...Kurt". He pulled Kurt practically into his lap. Kurt tried to back up but Blaine's arms were strong and Kurt fell forward. Blaine's grip on his biceps didn't let up until he was enveloped in Blaine's arms and he could feel warm tears splashing down his neck to be absorbed by his shirt collar.

"Hey, Blaine...it's okay. Your son is fine. He was just a bit chilled – but I got him warm and dry as quickly as I could, then I got warm soup into him so he would feel better," Kurt went on, afraid to stop speaking because he didn't want Blaine to have a chance to ask him anything. There was only one question Kurt wanted an answer to after all these years - but he worried if the answer might just kill him.

* * *

 _ **McKinley High, Lima, Ohio – 2010**_

 _Kurt had left the classroom when the other boys in the New Directions had ridiculed him about his ideas for the Girls vs. Boys assignment. He had been made fun of in school – it had been happening since 8th grade, but this was different. He had gotten used to feeling safe in the choir room. It had become his haven – the place he could be himself and nobody would try to hurt him – physically or emotionally – and today this had happened. He'd looked to Finn first, but the large boy avoided eye contact with him. He'd even given thought to maybe having Sam calm things down, but the boy looked away when he saw Kurt silently ask him for help._

 _After storming out, Kurt got in his SUV and went home. He had turned things over and over in his mind and finally come to a decision. He was going to visit Dalton Academy and spy on the Warblers. After googling to find what the school uniform looked like, Kurt was almost excited getting ready, finding the perfect clothes to look as close to a private school student as possible. He got out his blue blazer, a crisp, starched white shirt, dress slacks, polished knee-high boots and a red tie._

 _He was actually terrified when he'd finally driven to Dalton Academy. It was a group of beautiful old buildings on a campus of formal gardens and lush greenery, all shaded by the ancient oaks, hickories, and beech trees. Kurt could only imagine being a student in these beautiful surroundings as he parked his Navigator and walked into the main building. He was a bit lost in the grandeur of it all but followed some of the students as they moved from class to class, hoping to find the choir room quickly._

 _Walking down a curved grand marble staircase, Kurt was feeling overwhelmed. He looked around to ask about the choir room, but all of the uniformed boys were walking quickly and he was hesitant to ask them anything when they all appeared so preoccupied. Then everything changed. Kurt Hummel's whole world changed in a split second._

 _In front of him was the most beautiful boy he had ever seen. His skin was a tawny gold, his hair sleeked into a formal arrangement reminiscent of Cary Grant, his lips a dusty rose and plump – just the kind of lips he had dreamed of kissing – and his smile. Oh, his smile. He was beauty and charm and everything Kurt had ever dreamed of having, and he was close enough to touch._

 _Kurt gathered his courage, removed his sunglasses, and spoke: "Excuse me, hi, can I ask you a question? I'm new here," he said in a quiet voice._

 _The boy turned to him and Kurt saw his eyes. Those eyes. Kurt felt dizzy as the golden hazel eyes met his. Once when he was a kid, his dad had taken him to the zoo to see the newest animal there. It was a black panther. Kurt had shied away from the thick safety glass of the display because the panther looked so very frightened. He remembered the cat's eyes the most – molten gold and so wild. This new boy had eyes like that and it made Kurt's heart beat in his chest like a drum._

" _My name's Blaine," he said and Kurt saw those golden eyes turn kind. It was that kindness that put him at ease enough to ask what was going on, why everyone seemed in such a hurry._

" _It's the Warblers..." Blaine said. The next thing Kurt knew, he was holding this boy's hand and they were running down a hallway to the choir room. It was fate. Nothing could have prepared Kurt for what happened next: Blaine was the lead singer for the Warblers. When he opened his mouth and Teenage Dream came out – Kurt was well and truly lost. Looking back, Kurt could say that Blaine singing that song was the turning point of his entire life._

* * *

They sat together, on the floor of the laundry room, staring into each other's eyes for some time when a small voice was heard at the door.

"Daddy?"

Blaine looked up, seeing his son standing there in the doorway and staring at the two of them.

"Danny Boy!" Blaine said,holding his arms out to the child.

"Daddy!" he shouted, jumping over to Blaine and throwing his tiny but sturdy arms around his father.

"How do you feel, my boy?" Blaine asked. Kurt pulled back and stood up, giving Blaine a hand to stand up, too. Blaine scooped his son into his arms.

"You came to get me, Daddy! You came, just like Mr. Kurt said you would. Mr. Kurt? Can I have more soup? My tummy is still hungry," Danny said.

"Of course you can. Just ask your daddy if it's okay," Kurt offered. He was trembling still, but determined to put a nice face on it since the little child was here, too.

"I was going to take you out for lunch, Buster, but if you'd rather stay here..." Blaine asked.

"Yes, Daddy. Mr Kurt makes the goodest chicky soup. Maybe he'll let you have some, too?" Daniel asked, looking over at Kurt so see if he could do that.

"Yes, Daniel, I have enough for him, too, your dad is welcome to eat with us," Kurt replied, giving Blaine a significant look that said, 'We'll talk this over when the boy isn't listening'.

Blaine gave him a nod and hugged Danny tighter. He was so thankful that his son was safe.

"Can I help with anything?" Blaine asked.

"No, the soup is already on the stove and I just need to reheat it. Please make yourself comfortable at the table. I set a phone book on that far chair so Daniel could reach his lunch," Kurt said as he went to the stove to reheat the kettle of soup.

In just a few minutes Kurt was serving bowls of the hot soup, smiling at Daniel's eagerness to have his dad taste the soup.

"He makes it just like you, Daddy, only different. And he got me a bottle of soy so it would taste gooder," the tot went on, trying to tell his father everything.

"Well, that was very kind of him, wasn't it?" Blaine answered his son. "We would say 'better', not 'gooder', okay Danny boy?" He glanced at Kurt, shy to make eye contact now.

"Okay, Daddy."

"Thank you, Daniel," Kurt murmured.

"Kurt...you remembered," Blaine said, tasting the soup.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"That I like lemon in my chicken soup, son," Blaine answered, giving Kurt a quick smile. "It is delicious," Blaine said, taking another spoonful of the thick, hearty broth, "But then, you always were an amazing cook."

Kurt tried to smile, but he began to tremble once again and his lips quivered. He tried to take another bite of soup. This was too weird, too strange, it must be a dream. Blaine Anderson. Blaine Fucking Anderson right here in his apartment. He could hardly lift the spoon to his mouth without spilling it.

Blaine took pity on him and reached across the table to touch his hand to Kurt's forearm.

"It's okay, Kurt. I'm a little shaken up, too." Blaine whispered. He looked straight into Kurt's eyes and locked him there. His eyes still had the same effect on Kurt that they did all those years ago on the staircase at Dalton. Kurt dropped his spoon into his soup bowl with a clatter and Blaine withdrew his hand. He hadn't meant to upset Kurt, but he knew in his heart that anything he did would upset him now. And he didn't blame his ex at all.

They ate in silence. Daniel was so tired he fell asleep once again, his cheek on the table next to his napkin and the empty bowl of soup.

"Long day, getting lost and being found by a stranger tired him out, poor kid," Kurt observed.

"Could I ask another favor?" Blaine looked at Kurt.

"Sure..."

"Might I be able to set him back on the sofa with the blanket you loaned him? He needs to take a nap and...well, with his clothes not dry and all?" Blaine asked, picking his son up into his arms and giving him a kiss on his soft little cheek. Kurt felt so strange when he saw that – kind of giddy and maybe a little jealous.

"Of course, Blaine. No problem," Kurt said, trying to calm his jolting heart as Blaine walked by him, "I'll get the blanket."

Blaine set Daniel down on the sofa and looked up just as Kurt came back in with the fluffy blanket. The small boy looked even smaller lying on the overstuffed upholstery of the sofa. Kurt's face was soft, his heart warming to the thought of being a daddy himself one day. He carefully tucked the fluffy blanket around the three-year-old, then added the afghan that was on the back of the sofa just to be sure Daniel would stay warm.

Watching Kurt brought tears to Blaine's eyes. He had spent most of his youth dreaming about having a baby with his husband. After he had met Kurt, Blaine's dreams had included the blue-eyed boy. He had often dreamed of the day he and Kurt would have children.

Kurt paced nervously for a few minutes. He didn't know whether to sit or to leave the room. He couldn't decide on anything to say to Blaine – how could they just start talking after all they had gone through? Could they just fall into polite conversation? Kurt had no idea and it was eating away at him.

Blaine was sitting on the sofa close to Daniel's feet. He smoothed the blankets over his son's back again and again as he watched Kurt pacing. His head was still in a spin. Seeing Kurt after all these years just did something to him. It had been hard – walking away from everything they had. Even today, it made no sense. He had wanted to turn around and run back into Kurt's arms on that night, but he stopped himself. He had to make a clean break, but now he couldn't remember exactly why.

"Do you need to make a call? Let your husband know where you are or that you've found Daniel?" Kurt asked. It had taken almost everything in him to ask that question, and he was proud that his shaky voice had come out without stuttering. He turned a little to his left so he didn't have to see Blaine's face as he thought of his husband. That would kill Kurt to see.

"Umm, well...Kurt – I don't have a husband. I've never been married. I had Daniel with a surrogate, so he is all mine. Somehow I just couldn't ..." Blaine said, not able to finish his sentence. Kurt's skin shivered when he heard his name on Blaine's lips. Blaine had always pronounced Kurt's name differently, lovingly and the memory came back so hard it almost knocked Kurt off of his feet.

Blaine gazed away from Kurt, concentrating on the wall across the room. He looked at the painting there – an abstract with bright splashes of colors that made him feel as if the artist was conveying his wish for happiness to the world. Lost in the painting, Blaine missed the look on Kurt's face. It was a look of confusion, not knowing how he felt about Blaine and wondering why he had never married.

* * *

 _ **Dalton Academy for Boys, Westerville, Ohio – 2011**_

 _Blaine waited at the door of Kurt's French class. He and Kurt had been getting closer since the disaster of the Gap Attack. It was difficult at first for Blaine to gain his confidence back, but spending time with Kurt soon put his embarrassment in the back of his mind. Then came the day the poor little canary, Pavarotti, died and Kurt came to the Warbler Choir Room. He was dressed in all black, his eyes red and swollen from crying and every Warbler in the room felt for him. In spite of his pain, Kurt sang a eulogy for the bird: Blackbird had never sounded so hauntingly beautiful._

 _Blaine had watched Kurt a lot in the passing weeks. He saw the shy and bashful boy turn into a confident and friendly member of the group. While he knew it wasn't all his doing, Blaine felt he could take a good deal of the credit. Kurt was able to pull himself out of the depths of despair, out of the deep hole Karofsky had shoved him into and blossom into this amazing person. Blaine was in awe of him._

 _Then came today and Kurt's voice soaring in his grief and looking around Blaine could see every Warbler in the room was affected by this one song. And the one who was affected the most was Blaine himself._

 _In the few minutes it took Kurt to sing Blackbird, Blaine fell head over heels in love. _


	3. Chapter 3 - Memories

**The Beach House – Chapter Three – Memories**

 **Kurt's Apartment,** **Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York – 2022**

"So...you never got married...?" Kurt said, not realizing how rude he sounded – as if he had some right to question Blaine's life choices at this late date. They were not together, they never got married. They ended any rights one had with the other when they broke up six years ago. Kurt had sifted through his pain over the past years and knew why they called it 'breaking up'. It was because after being so close and promising so much and then losing everything, both people in the couple were _broken_.

"No. I guess I just never met the right person," Blaine said. "I got half of the trust fund my grandparents left me when I turned 23, and I wanted to have a baby, so I worked through a surrogate agency and Daniel was born. I don't have time for dating any more. I wonder sometimes if I ever did," Blaine said, pain evident in his voice.

"You made time for me..." Kurt whispered under his breath, not believing that Blaine really felt that way. No, he was more sensitive than that. Blaine would have made time for dating if he'd wanted to.

Blaine didn't know for sure if he wasn't punishing himself for all the mistakes he'd made with Kurt. He forgotten that they had never dated anyone else, they were just learning the ins and outs of dating when they started. Neither one of them allowed themselves any slack; any mistake was a cause for self doubt and worry. Never forgiving himself for being young and inexperienced, Blaine blamed himself for the break-up with Kurt and regretted it every day. Maybe now would be a good time to mend fences and see if there was anything left to salvage. If Kurt was willing to try.

Blaine lifted his head and gazed into those clear blue eyes. The ones that had been haunting his dreams for most of his life now. He remembered the day he escorted Kurt to the junior prom at McKinley.

* * *

 _ **McKinley High, Lima, Ohio – 2011**_

" _Kurt, we're going to be late!" Blaine called up the stairs. Kurt hadn't let him see what he was wearing tonight and thoughts of his boyfriend appearing in a pair of tight jeans, bleached and shrunk to fit paired with a boat-neck sweater and other revealing articles of clothing had made Blaine on edge tonight. Then Kurt appeared a the top of the stairs._

" _You look like a dream walking," Blaine quoted from an old song his father used to listen to on his phonograph._

 _And Kurt did. He was striking in the kilt he'd made. It cupped in a bit at the bottom of his ass and his hips swayed in a provocative way when Kurt walked. Blaine had to concentrate so as not to show his true feelings in front of Burt. He was very grateful that his suit jacket covered the front of his dress pants and hid the growing hardness as Kurt walked down the stairs. He came up to Blaine and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips and it was all Blaine could do to stop himself from moaning._

" _Okay, the two of you – in front of the fireplace and I'll get a few shots of you going off to your first prom!" Burt directed them, so excited that his son was finally going to a prom. Just a few months ago he thought it would be only ever be a dream._

 _Burt took a lot of pictures, wanting to capture the perfect one to put in his scrapbook and maybe frame a copy to put on the wall with Kurt's other pictures._

" _We have to go, dad," Kurt said, feeling Blaine's nervous twitch as he placed his arm around Kurt for another picture._

" _Oh, yeah...don't want to be late to the prom!" Burt enthused. He couldn't get the huge grin off of his face as he watched Blaine help Kurt on with the suit jacket he had paired with the kilt. He thought briefly about what could happen – he'd been against Kurt wearing the kilt, worried that shoving his orientation right in the faces of the gay-bashers would stir up some trouble. It was born from his fear of Kurt being beat up for showing his true self, but he was so proud of Kurt and the way he never let anyone tell him he couldn't be who he was._

" _We'll be home by one, Mr. Hummel," Blaine promised. Kurt's curfew was eleven, but this was a special day and Burt had allowed the later hour._

" _Be careful, try to stay with a group especially in the parking lot, okay?" Burt warned._

" _Yes, Dad, we know. Honestly, everything will be fine. Dave Karofsky is no longer a threat. He's going to the prom with Santana Lopez. We'll be fine. Now wish us a good time and I'll see you in the morning. You don't need to wait up for me, I'm almost eighteen," Kurt said, hugging his father._

" _Have a good time, boys," Burt said and hugged both of them._

 _The gym looked wonderful as the boys walked into the room. Kurt was smiling, knowing he had the most handsome date of anyone at the prom. Blaine was smiling, too. He had overcome his fear tonight and wanted to please Kurt. He was pleasantly surprised at how good he was feeling. Kurt had ridden to the dance with him, a warm hand placed on his thigh – occasionally rubbing a bit as they drove. They listened to the radio, singing along to the songs as they went along. Kurt's voice had always sounded like an angel to Blaine and he was enjoying this._

" _Kurt!" several voices came across the gym and they turned their heads to see Rachel, Mercedes, and Tina waiting for him. With a smile, Kurt steered Blaine over and they talked for a few minutes, admiring the girl's dresses and Kurt's kilt._

" _Would you like to dance?" Blaine asked and Kurt's face filled with joy as they walked over to the dance floor. Not wanting to cause a spectacle, Blaine kept it very friendly instead of pulling Kurt as close as he wanted. The thought of dancing cheek to cheek, their bodies pressed together brought him to the same state he was in before they left Kurt's house: horny and very hard. During a turn, Kurt's thigh came in contact with Blaine's hard member and he staggered, looking into Blaine's eyes with question. Blaine leaned up and kissed Kurt on his rosy pink lips and marveled at the softness. He wanted to leave the dance and take Kurt somewhere so they could be alone, but he knew Kurt wasn't there yet. Kissing was fine, but Kurt just wasn't ready for the next step and Blaine would honor that._

 _After the class had voted Kurt to be Prom Queen, Blaine was shattered. He hadn't wanted to go to the dance, but went because Kurt had his heart set on it. Then there was the kilt – a 'gay Braveheart' as Finn called him, but they rose above it and it just seemed like a natural choice after a while. When Figgins announced Kurt as Queen, and Kurt ran out of the gym, Blaine was heartbroken. He felt the pain in Kurt's eyes as they spoke in the hallway. Why had they dared to come to this dance at all? Blaine knew it would be awful, but it was worse than he had even dreaded._

 _Sitting in the hallway at McKinley, Blaine had no idea how to comfort Kurt as he paced back and forth in front of the lockers. They had done things – kissing, hugging, private conversations – but this was really the crisis that led to Blaine thinking differently about Kurt._

 _He'd seen Kurt when he was frightened, when he was resigned, even when he had almost given up trying to bring some sense to the students of McKinley, but this was different. This was fresh, this was so hurtful...and Blaine wanted in the worst way to wave the magic boyfriend wand and make it all go away for him, but that was not happening. He looked into those breathtaking blue eyes, searched through the shades of blue and gray, noted the tiny bits of sunshine gold. He put out his hand and silently asked Kurt to sit down beside him._

" _Kurt?" he asked, knowing that his boyfriend would understand what he was asking. Instead of answering, Kurt put his head down and slowly curled in to Blaine's arms. He put a cheek to Blaine's chest and took a deep breath. They didn't have to say anything, it was all so obvious, so they just listened to the music that came from the gym down at the other end of the hall._

 _Blaine pulled Kurt in tighter to his chest, wanting to protect him from all the evil in the world. Kurt was like a tiny child, clinging to the only safe haven he knew of right now and Blaine would hold him and fight for him against anybody and anything. He put a cheek to Kurt's head, the soft chestnut colored hair smelled of carnations and sage – the shampoo Blaine bought him as a gift last week. He kissed his hair, tightening his hold around Kurt's torso when he felt Kurt crying. Along with the sorrow that he felt about the mean trick played on Kurt, Blaine was so afraid Kurt was broken, that this was the last straw in the years of bullying that he had endured with such grace. Blaine felt hot tears scalding his eyes as they slid down his cheeks._

 _He wanted to get Kurt out of there, away from these horrible people, away from this pain and torture. He pushed his shoulder forward, causing Kurt to look up at him._

" _Kurt? Can I take you away from this? Do you want to go somewhere?" he whispered._

 _Kurt sat still for a moment, searching his mind for what he wanted to do. Someone was giving him an option, a way out of this nightmare and he wanted to take it, but his mind also told him that he had to come back to school on Monday, back among the same people who did this to him, and he knew if he left now that he would never live this humiliation down. He had to save face somehow. He had to go back inside and let this play out._

" _No, Blaine...I have to go back. To the gym. I have to face them now or I'll never get the guts to do it again. We won't let them take this from us...they can't touch us," he said with a conviction in his voice that Blaine had never heard before._

" _Courage," Blaine said, standing up and dusting the dirt from his pants, then turning to help Kurt up. "I don't know why I ever needed to tell you to have courage – you have more than anyone I've ever known. I am so proud of you, Kurt."_

 _Kurt's cheeks blushed a delicate pink as he smiled at Blaine. He reached out his hand and Blaine took it, bringing Kurt's hand to his lips and kissed it._

" _Lead on," he said._

 _When Kurt got that look on his face – claiming that he was going back into the dance and let them coronate him, calling their bluff, Blaine had felt so much pride in his boyfriend. Kurt was the bravest person he had ever known. He followed Kurt back in and watched from the front row as he allowed Figgins to place the crown on his head. There was a moment there, just a heartbeat, where he was afraid Kurt would break down, but to his utter surprise, Kurt placed a hand on his hip and said, "Eat your heart out, Kate Middleton!"_

 _Blaine could have died right then and there. He stood in amazement as the clapping started in the back of the room, no doubt it was one of the New Directions, and suddenly it seemed as if everyone was clapping. Kurt was smiling and it seemed as if everything would be all right now._

 _He was wrong._

 _Karofsky walked across the stage and Blaine noticed he was whispering with Kurt, then he turned and fled. Kurt stood still, his eyes beginning to tear up as he contemplated what to do now. Blaine saw the fear coming back and moved to do something._

" _Can I have this dance?" he asked, holding his hand out to his boyfriend. Kurt took his hand just as Mercedes started the song. Blaine's stomach did a flip-flop for a moment when he realized she was singing 'Dancing Queen'. Really? When they saw what had happened to Kurt, didn't it occur to them to change the song? They knew hundreds of songs, why did they have to sing this one? Luckily, Kurt was oblivious to the choice in song. He danced with Blaine, a shy smile on his face as Blaine kissed his cheek softly._

" _I am so proud of you, baby," he whispered and Kurt held him just a bit closer, sighing in contentment._

* * *

 **Kurt's Apartment, Washington Heights, New York City, 2022**

"I'm sorry, Kurt. I must have been wool gathering. What did you say?" Blaine asked, ashamed he had gone off into his memories when Kurt spoke to him.

"Nothing, Blaine, nothing," Kurt said. He was overwhelmed. He'd cried every night for six months when Blaine left him, then the guilt came – blaming himself for everything that went wrong. His father had tried to tell him it was just a mistake, a miscommunication, and they could mend their relationship once again if they just got together and talked it out. Kurt believed that, and he pinned all of his hopes on it, but he couldn't find Blaine. Eventually he just stopped looking.

Moving forward had been so hard. Once he thought he caught a glimpse of Blaine on a busy New York street, but he could never catch up to him. It was slowly driving him mad, so he had to tell himself that it was ended. Forever.

At first he didn't believe something so near and dear to his heart would be gone. He began to daydream about his reconciliation with Blaine, all the happy times they would have once they found each other again. He even made up in his head that Blaine was looking for him – so he got a facebook page, a twitter account, any form of social media that became popular, but Blaine never contacted him.

"Kurt?" he heard, "Are you okay?"

"Ummm...no. I'm not okay. I haven't been okay and I don't even know if I will ever be okay. It's just not in the cards for me, Bl...Blaine," he said, stumbling over Blaine's name – as if the name held the magic to steal all of his power if he said it aloud. He hung his head down, trying, praying for enough strength to tell Blaine to leave and never come back.

"I looked for you..." Kurt said brokenly, unable to finish the sentence. He looked at Blaine, unsure of himself.

Blaine got up, walking slowly towards Kurt. He had dreamed of doing this one day – of coming here and reconnecting with Kurt. Of trying once more to be together with him, but he had known it was just a dream. Now? He wasn't so sure.

"Kurt?" he said, not knowing what question would follow. He reached up and laid his hand on Kurt's jaw, brushing the tears away with his thumb as he got closer.

Kurt shook his head, warning Blaine with his eyes to keep his distance, but Blaine ignored it. He did come closer, slipping his hand down to touch Kurt's chest and fan his fingers over Kurt's heart.

"Did you move on? Are you married?" Blaine asked, though he saw no sign of a husband or roommate.

"No. I'm too...too busy to get married. I have to travel for my job sometimes, so I'm not always home and that would be so unfair for a husband to deal with. I'll think about it when I'm done doing what I have to do to make ends meet."

"Are you struggling? I mean financially. Do yo need money, Kurt? I can give you money if you need it," Blaine offered, although it was the last thing he could imagine Kurt would want.

"No!" Came the emphatic answer. "I can earn my own way in this world. I am a printer, a lithographer, so no, I don't need you to take care of me," Kurt held his ground.

They stood, toe to toe, watching for anything in the other that would change the stalemate in the room. Both being so full of pride, there was no room for anything else.

Blaine gave in first.

"I was thinking of taking Daniel home to his own bed. He's so little and he's going to be tired after all that happened to him today. Thank you for saving him, I don't know what would have happened to him if you hadn't been there...to think of all the bad people who might have come across such a little guy, and what might..." Blaine stopped. His fears were eating him alive and he leaned back against the wall behind him, his eyes closed.

"Don't dwell on that...Blaine, he's okay, he's just fine. Please, there's no need to worry now, he's safe," Kurt tried to comfort Blaine, feeling the pain he saw in his old friend's eyes. Kurt touched Blaine's hand, taking it in his own. "Honestly, there is no more need to worry."

"Thanks to you, Kurt. I just...what if you hadn't found him? He might have tried to come home, run into a busy street? He' so little, I never taught him how to do that – to cross a street. I am a terrible dad," Blaine said, losing confidence the longer he thought about what might have been.

"I didn't know he would face that this early in life. He didn't know not to talk to strangers! I should have taught him that, too, but I thought I had time," Blaine murmured.

"Oh, you can't blame yourself for things that never happened. From what I could see, he is a sweet, funny, confident kid – just like his father was when I first met him," Kurt smiled, nudging Blaine with his elbow. "Right?"

"That was a long time ago, Kurt. Water under the bridge," Blaine said, the sadness in his eyes so pronounced that Kurt felt it like a hit in the stomach. What had happened to Blaine to do this to him?

"Blaine? Please, come sit with me for a moment. Would that be okay?" Suddenly it was more important for Blaine to know he could carry on than it was for Kurt to get closure.

Blaine shrugged his shoulders, then reluctantly nodded his head. Kurt took his hand and walked into his bedroom. He hadn't thought about how that would look to Blaine and glanced up to see shock on his ex's face.

"Oh...no, I just wanted to talk and I didn't want to disturb Daniel. We can go into the kitchen and sit at the table if this is too much for you?" Kurt offered.

"No, it's fine. It just took me by surprise, that's all," Blaine said.

They sat down, Blaine in an armchair beside the bed and Kurt on the ottoman in front of it.

Once he settled, Blaine didn't know what to do with his hands - or even what they might talk about. He just sat, gazing into Kurt's eyes and remembered what he gave up the day he left. Since that day, he'd never felt a moment's peace.

"Blaine, I know I have no right to say any of this to you. I know we have been apart for years and I know that was my fault, too. I wanted to tell you how sorry I was, I wanted you to know it was my failure, not your own that caused the rift between us," Kurt stopped to gather courage to go on, but it wouldn't come. He had mourned this union for so long, he had no way to let it go. His eyes sought out Blaine's once again and saw tears filling them.

"Oh, Blaine, don't cry, honey. Please, don't cry," Kurt begged. After all this, he couldn't take Blaine's tears.

"Kurt, it wasn't all your fault. Not at all. I'm the one who ran. You know all those times when we first met at Dalton? When I sent you a text that just said, 'COURAGE'? Well, I was the one who really needed it. I was so afraid back then. I had run from the bullies at my school, the ones who beat the crap out of me at the Sadie Hawkins dance. I couldn't protect my friend or myself that night and I ran. Then there was the failed Gap Attack. I tried to get that kid to notice me using the Warblers because I was too afraid to just ask him.

"I had such a crush on you, Kurt, but I couldn't tell you. I was so fearful of everything back then. I had no right to tell you that you needed courage, Kurt. You had it in spades and I couldn't see that. It was my fault that Karofsky kissed you – I egged you on, telling you to face your fears when I had no intention of facing my own," Blaine said, his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees.

"Oh, Blaine, don't blame yourself. I did that. I confronted Karofsky, I didn't give him a choice. I never blamed you for that. You have to believe me – I never blamed you," Kurt told him, reaching his hand over to squeeze Blaine's knee.

"I was always scared of something, though," Blaine went on. "Afraid to tell you I loved you, afraid to be alone when you came to New York ahead of me. Afraid you would leave me, that you were done with me? I did all that. I didn't deserve you," Blaine said.

"Oh, I think we deserved each other. We were both at fault. I was so enthralled with myself in New York – I felt as if graduating from McKinley gave me some kind of right to live a new life. Although I loved you, Blaine, what I did was wrong. I ignored you. I had not found another man – I had found myself and I wasn't willing to share that new thing with anyone. You understand what I mean? My dad would say I was too big for my britches. Thank heaven I came to my senses and we got back together," Kurt said, thinking of the hurt they did to each other on the spur of the moment and all the months it took to mend their relationship.

"But...when I left you that night, it was mean and underhanded and you didn't deserve it. I stole away like some thief in the night. I never gave you a chance to talk over the problems. I ran. Again. It was wrong, and I am so sorry," Blaine whispered, covering his mouth as sobs came out.

Kurt didn't know what to say. In a way, Blaine was right. He did sneak away, leaving Kurt no explanation, no closure. It was not fair.

They sat in the room as the sun went down, neither one shifting from their seat, neither one meeting the eyes of the other. Kurt heard a sound and stood up, putting up a finger to ask Blaine to wait a minute, then he walked into the living room. Daniel was still sound asleep. Kurt came back.

"Your son is still asleep. Do you think we can talk now? I mean we don't have anything together except a lot of history, but maybe it would do both of us some good to try and make it - I don't know...okay between us?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, maybe. It couldn't feel any worse..." Blaine lamented. "Kurt, when I left you all I wanted to do was die."


	4. Chapter 4 - Stay

**The Beach House – Chapter Four - Stay**

 _ **McKinley High, Lima, Ohio – 2011**_

 _Blaine was in the auditorium. He had just gotten through the first night of West Side Story, but the bitter taste in his mouth_ _after the fight with Kurt the night before was still there._

 _They had taken up Sebastian's offer to get them into Scandals. Blaine knew that Kurt didn't want to go – but Kurt accepted Seb's offer and they found themselves at Scandals the next night, fake IDs in hand._

 _Entering the club, Kurt felt dirty. The place was in need of a few days with a scrub brush and a gallon or two of bleach. The patrons of the bar left a bit to be desired in terms of cleanliness, too._

 _Sebastian was waiting at the bar with drinks: a beer for Blaine and a Shirley Temple with extra cherries for Kurt. After a few sips, Blaine was feeling loose and loving and lightheaded. Kurt didn't drink any alcohol, so he was just unhappy._

 _Sebastian asked Blaine to dance and gave Kurt a haughty look as he led the dapper young man out on the dance floor. Kurt was torn between following and grabbing his boyfriend back or staying at the bar to look as if he knew there was nothing to worry about. Kurt ended up in the very worst position: Sebastian was dancing very close to his boyfriend, hands on Blaine's hips as they shook and swayed to the music. To make things worse yet, Kurt heard a voice next to him._

" _Better watch your boyfriend."_

 _Kurt glanced up to see Dave Karofsky sitting next to him._

 _Surprisingly, Dave was not such a bad companion. They spoke about several things, and Kurt was interested in what the man had to say. He was glad Dave was getting along now, that he had come to accept himself. When they came to the end of the current song and a new one started, Kurt gathered his courage and charged onto the dance floor. Nobody was taking Blaine away from him, and certainly not that meerkat-in-disguise Sebastian._

 _Kurt shoved the weasel away with his hip as he faced Blaine and began dancing very close. Sebastian took the hint and backed away. Kurt got very close to Blaine, letting the boy put his hands on Kurt's hips as they swayed together. If he was apprehensive at first, Kurt warmed up to the dancing quickly. Blaine was pulling him closer, kissing his sensitive neck and nuzzling him with his nose while he whispered sweet things into Kurt's ear. It was overwhelming and Kurt was feeling things he had never felt before. Things that scared him._

" _Blaine, we need to get home. My dad..." Kurt said, wanting to stay and grind his body next to Blaine's as he saw the two men next to them doing the same. He knew he couldn't do that, not yet, so he asked Blaine to take him home._

" _Okay, Babe, we can go," Blaine agreed. Sebastian was in the men's room, so Kurt took advantage of that and herded Blaine out the door. In the parking lot, Blaine was rambling on about living at Scandals and making art and so on about a Utopian society while Kurt steered him to the car. Blaine got in the back seat, but pulled Kurt in on top of him. After a brief struggle, Blaine's anger peaked and he tried to convince Kurt to have sex with him in the back seat._

" _I know you wanted a meadow of lilacs with Sting playing in the background, but it's about us - can't we just do it here?" Blaine asked._

" _You're right, it' is about us and that's why I don't want to do it when you've spent half the night dancing with another guy and that you're sober enough to remember it the next day!" Kurt shouted, anger seething from him._

" _Why are you yelling at me?" Blaine asked, incredulous._

" _Because I've never felt less like being intimate with someone and either you can't tell or you just don't care."_

 _Blaine walked home that night. He wanted to call Kurt, to apologize, but he just couldn't face his boyfriend being disappointed in him. Kurt's anger was slow to build and even slower to come to a head – but when he finally had enough it was like being run over by a freight train. It was fear of Kurt's wrath that finally kept Blaine from contacting him._

 _All day Saturday Blaine kept to himself in his room. His parents were busy – they had left for Florida a few days before, his dad was now at a golf game with a business associate and his mother was with her friends discussing a charity ball she was planning. The house stayed empty and quiet. The only one home to listen to Blaine's woes was his Golden Retriever, Kodi, short for Kodiak, who sat with his head on Blaine's knee as the boy tried not to shed tears over his colossal mistake._

 _Blaine had considered staying home and calling Artie to ask him to put the understudy in, but a lifetime of living up to his obligations pushed him to get dressed and drive to McKinley. At the very least, he owed it to Rachel to be there for her._

 _Getting in his car, which magically appeared in his driveway despite the fact that he left it in the parking lot at Scandals with Kurt, he drove to McKinley and went in to have his makeup done._

 _Blaine was waiting while Rachel helped put on his foundation make-up, thinking that Kurt had probably driven his car to his house and then Finn or someone had given Kurt a ride home. Even angry, Kurt was a gentleman._

 _Walking across the stage before the performance, he caught a glimpse of Kurt out of the corner of his eye. His boyfriend looked preoccupied, not answering when Tina asked him a question and when the whole group gathered to give Artie a bouquet of roses in appreciation, Kurt wasn't to be found._

 _During the play, Blaine gazed out to the audience before remembering his parents were in Florida this weekend. They were planning on being back before the last performance on Sunday night, so at least they would see him._

 _The play went well. Blaine kept his head in the moment, not daring to think about Kurt or he would forget his lines. He was worried up until Kurt came on the stage, killing with his part of Officer Krupke. Blaine thought his own performance had gone well – except for one of the leaps. He just couldn't seem to land it, so after the auditorium cleared out, after all of his friends went to toast Artie in the after party, he stayed behind to work on his leap._

 _Standing on the stage, the house lights the only illumination in the large auditorium, he heard someone walking backstage. He turned to see Kurt standing, looking at him._

" _Shouldn't you be celebrating?" Kurt asked._

" _I'm going over this move, I messed it up tonight," Blaine said, daring to glance once more at the boy he'd given his heart to. It hurt more than he thought it would._

 _They stood, resorting to small talk of how the play had gone. Kurt mentioned all of Blaine's friends had been there – the Warblers. Sebastian. Blaine sighed. Here it was again, something to stab him in the heart. He couldn't take this, he had to do something to bring Kurt back to him. He cursed Sebastian silently, swallowing before he could force words past his lips. He looked up at Kurt._

" _Come here," he asked. "Give me your hand. Hold it to your heart," he directed his boyfriend, taking his hand and placing it over his heart. "Kurt, Sebastian doesn't mean anything to me. And you were right, our first time shouldn't be anything like that. I was drunk and...I'm sorry."_

 _Kurt looked into Blaine's eyes, feeling the strong message that he wanted to convey. His golden eyes were like molten lava and mesmerized Kurt._

" _It sure beats the last time you were drunk and made out with Rachel," Kurt said to keep them from getting too serious, to keep them from hurting each other. He was very afraid, but he couldn't let Blaine see that._

" _But I'm sorry, too. I wanted to be your Gay Bar Super Star, but try as I might, I'm still just a lame romantic," Kurt confessed, trying to make a joke of it. Blaine could read through that effort, he could see how much he'd hurt his boyfriend and he needed to make up for that._

 _Blaine moved forward quickly, taking Kurt's ever-so-kissable lips and giving him a kiss to let him know just how sorry he was, just how much he wanted to make up and just how in love with Kurt he was._

 _Kurt reluctantly pulled back. "You take my breath away."_

 _Blaine's heart soared when he heard those words, but Kurt wasn't finished._

" _And not just now, but tonight on that stage, I am so proud to be with you."_

 _The tears were in Blaine's voice as he spoke, "I want you to be."_

 _They stood there, just smiling at each other, both feeling the joy of reconciliation. Blaine spoke first: "Artie is having an after party at Breadsticks. Will you do me the honor of accompanying me?"_

" _No." Kurt said and Blaine's heart went through the floor. Before he could even react, Kurt went on: "I want to go to your house."_

 _Blaine could hardly draw another breath. Kurt knew his parents were not home, that they weren't coming home until the next evening._

 _That was the night that Blaine and Kurt fell so much in love that they never thought it would end. They made love, bonded together, made a union that was to last forever. It was the best night of both of their lives._

* * *

 **Kurt's Apartment, Washington Heights, New York City, 2022**

The two men were still sitting in Kurt's bedroom. Little Daniel was still asleep on the sofa, covered up with a blanket and probably out for the night. Kurt's cat, Piers, was curled up next to him.

Blaine's words were burning in Kurt's mind.

" _Kurt, when I left you all I wanted to do was die."_

He knew how that felt. There were nights after Blaine left him that he wanted to die, too. If it hadn't been for his father, he might have taken that step.

"Blaine, I understand – I do. Things between us? – they were bad. I was denying to myself that anything was wrong. I did all the wrong things. I wish we had the chance to talk it over back then, maybe make mutual decisions about what to do to mend it, but..." Kurt couldn't think of anything to say that didn't put all the blame on him, and that wasn't going to do either of them any good.

Blaine sat silently looking at Kurt. He knew in his heart that it was his fault, but admitting it did nothing to make this better. He put his head down once again.

"Blaine? Is there a chance – just a small, tiny chance that somewhere in your heart you might forgive me?" Kurt asked.

Blaine's head went up abruptly. "Forgive you? Oh, Kurt, I forgave you years ago. I forgave you as soon as it happened. I left because I couldn't forgive myself. I was toxic to you, so I ran away."

"Can I ask – where did you go? I looked for you, I called everyone I knew," Kurt said, looking even more forlorn than he had earlier.

"I hired some guys to move my stuff to a storage unit, then I bought a ticket to LA. I was probably on the plane before you were home," Blaine said.

"Cooper."

"Yes, I ran to my big brother. I stayed there for a few years, finished college, got a few jobs singing. Four years ago I came back to New York. That's when I decided I would never get married. I didn't think I would be a good husband to anyone, so I stopped looking. Then I got Daniel...he has been the bright spot in all of this," Blaine said, his face breaking out in a smile as he thought about his son.

"I can understand that. I've only known him for a few hours and I'm completely charmed by him," Kurt grinned, but then he realized what he'd said and the smile left his face.

"You are?" Blaine asked, curious. He could tell that Kurt meant it, that he was captivated by the little boy.

They sat silently for a few minutes, both trying to think of what to say next.

"Have you ever thought of having a child?" Blaine asked.

"Do you really want to know?" Kurt shot back, feeling hurt again. They had talked of having a child together, maybe one child from each of them biologically.

"Of course, I asked, didn't I?" Blaine said softly, wondering if he had hit a sore spot again.

"Then yes. Ever since I've known you, Blaine, I wanted to marry you - and part of that dream was that we would have babies. We would be a family with three or four children, a house in the country, dogs and horses...the American Dream. I guess I forgot how much that meant to me after you left." Kurt said it all quickly, then regretted it. He looked away, studying the fish swimming in the tank against the wall. Why couldn't he keep his mouth shut? What right did he have to dump that on Blaine? He was suddenly ashamed of himself, and so inside his own head that he almost missed what Blaine whispered.

"I dreamed that, too."

Silence filled the room like fog settling over the shore on a cool morning. Neither man dared look at the other in the face of the last confessions. Kurt finally gathered his courage.

"You know I called Cooper – to ask if he knew where you were. You were right there with him, weren't you?" Kurt accused, but without venom.

"Yes. I was just hurting so badly, and Cooper was afraid for me. I didn't tell him the details and he didn't ask – but he knew I'd left you. He lied to you to protect me, so please don't be angry with him," Blaine asked.

"I'm not. I understand. I called him several times over the next six months. I even called your father after that."

"You're kidding!" Blaine gasped in surprise. He had stopped talking to his father a year before he and Kurt broke up. Blaine's parents had a messy divorce and then his mother was killed in an auto accident.

"He said he didn't even know we had broken up. He sounded genuinely confused, so I never called him again. Do you talk to him now?" Kurt asked.

"Only at Christmas. I'm not angry with him any more, he's an old man and I don't think he remembers things very well any more. I quit fighting with him years ago, but we don't stay in touch. How is Burt?"

"He's fine. He and Carole are still living in the same house. Dad opened another tire store, and he still does mechanical work at the first store. Puck works for him since he got out of the Air Force. He and Lauren have twin sons. I still keep in touch with some of the New Directions," Kurt said. "Finn and Rachel are married, still living here in New York. Finn is a school counselor and Rachel teaches voice in a private studio."

"That's nice. I am still friends with Trent, Jeff, and Nicky. Trent lives here in New York – he owns an art gallery in the Village. Jeff and Nicky have an album coming out next year. They are in LA with their band, but they come to visit here several times a year. Wes became a doctor – no surprise – and is still in Ohio. I try to keep up with the gang when I can," Blaine said.

They sat quietly again. It was getting harder to talk, trying to come up with neutral subjects.

* * *

 _ **Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York City - 2014**_

 _It was the first day of living in their new apartment. Kurt had been so exuberant that he scooped Blaine up and carried him through the front door, stopping to try and slide it shut behind him, and went on through into the bedroom where he set Blaine on the bed._

" _Hey, I almost dropped you, Babe!" Kurt giggled._

 _Blaine reached up to grab his hand and pulled Kurt down on top of him. Kurt's smile could outshine the sun that day. Here he was in his own apartment with his boyfriend and this wonderful life laid out in front of them. He knew all of their detractors were wrong. They weren't too young, they were meant to be together forever._

 _He settled his weight on Blaine, scooting so his legs were between Blaine's and kissed his boyfriend deep and long. He could feel Blaine arching up to meet him, their bodies accustomed to this dance. Kurt finished the kiss, reluctantly pulling away and then gasping as Blaine kissed his neck, sucking gently as he pushed his hips forward to grind against Kurt._

 _They celebrated this new privacy – there had been so little of it at the dorm where they shared their suite with two other students._

" _I can kiss you any time I like now," Kurt said, kissing Blaine all over his beautiful face to prove it. "And we can be intimate any day of the week without having to hang one of our ties on the door," he said, kissing Blaine again. Yes, they were going to enjoy this apartment._

 _It was just a few moments later when they both sat up, removing every stitch of clothing and coming together with the heat of their bodies guiding them._

" _Blaine..." Kurt moaned, loving the feel of his boyfriend's warm skin as it slid along his own. They had been intimate for a while now. What began the night of Blaine's debut in West Side Story had progressed to the two getting together every time they could find privacy, anywhere they could find it. It was amazing that their parents hadn't walked in on them._

 _Then when they were in college, they tried to find privacy in a crowded city, in a crowded dorm building. This apartment of their own was going to be something beautiful._

 _It was nine or ten months later when the fighting began. At first it was just a few little annoyances – they had grown up in very different circumstances and trying to make those mesh was not easy. Blaine hadn't had to let anyone know his whereabouts, there was rarely anyone home to care. Kurt had grown up being accountable for his every move, letting his dad know where he was, what he was doing, when he'd be home._

 _Then there was the issue of money. Money, or the lack of money, had been hard in their new circumstance. Blaine had been on a budget since junior high. With his parents rarely home, he had to do his own shopping for groceries, for clothing, and paying the utility bills on time. With Kurt, Burt had always taken care of that, so sticking to a budget was foreign territory for the sheltered boy. They didn't share a vision, and they had no frame of reference to talk about it. No wonder they failed each other._

* * *

 **Kurt's Apartment, Washington Heights, New York City – 2022**

"I don't know where to go from here, Kurt. We lost ourselves in front of the theatre that day, and I don't know if we can find us again," Blaine lamented, blinking his eyes. They had it all for a while. Then, with the snap of fate's fingers, it was gone.

"Is it too late, Blaine? Is it worth trying again?" Kurt asked, afraid to look into his ex-boyfriend's eyes.

Blaine sat for a while. He thought about Kurt and everything they had back then. Could he risk what he had now to try to regain what he'd lost? His eyes clouded over, unwanted tears stinging the backs of his eyes.

The bottom line for him could be summed up in one statement: Kurt had been the one thing he had run _towards_ when he met him, the one thing he didn't run _away from_ in a lifetime of running away. Until he ran away from Kurt that fateful night - and that was the very biggest mistake of his life.

"I better get home. The weather looks worse now than when I came. Daniel's clothes are probably dry?" he asked.

"Blaine, it wouldn't be good to take your son out in this weather. It's dark and cold on the street. Stay the night. You can go home in the morning when the rain is gone. It's the only sensible thing to do and you know it," Kurt reasoned.

He was well aware that Blaine had not answered his question.

"Okay," Blaine finally agreed. He really didn't want to take Daniel out in the cold and wet night. The boy was sensitive when it came to his lungs. He caught every cold that went around and he'd already had pneumonia three times in his young life.

"Here, I can scare up something for you to sleep in. No point in ruining your nice clothes," Kurt offered. He went to his dresser and found a pair of flannel pajamas that Carole had given him for Christmas. He handed them to Blaine, then got out a clean towel and washcloth, handing them to him and directing him towards the bathroom.

"Go ahead and get ready for bed. I just need to clean up the kitchen and jot down some notes in the office," Kurt said, leaving Blaine in the bedroom. He took his own pajamas and went to the guest bath to change.

Blaine felt dead on his feet. He hadn't really done much today, he'd been anxious when the rain began to fall. He'd always abhorred thunderstorms and was a bit worried this would turn into one. He got in the shower and quickly washed, loving the memories that came bursting into his head as he smelled the shampoo Kurt had used since high school. It was the quintessential scent that shouted Kurt's name to him, a scent of carnations and sage that he had given Kurt as a gift. Kurt had loved it so much he'd never switched to another scent.

Sudsing up the washcloth, Blaine scrubbed off the smell of New York City. He could never get used to it – the smell that permeated this entire city. He'd always been fastidious, but here in New York that had just increased over the years.

Finally happy with the shower, Blaine got out to dry off and get into the flannel pajamas. They were warm and hugged his shoulders a bit too much, but were comfortable enough. He sat on the bed, noticing that Kurt had changed the linen while he was in the shower.

"Blaine, are you done?" Kurt called through the door.

"Yeah, just got the pajamas on. Thank you for your kindness," Blaine said and Kurt rolled his eyes to himself.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course." Blaine sat up straighter and looked as Kurt came through the door, his back towards him. He was confused for a moment until Kurt turned around. He was carrying a tray with two mugs, steam coming from them, and a plate of doughnuts. Blaine could smell the cinnamon coming from the warm pastry and it made his mouth water.

"I was thinking, if you're not too sleepy that maybe we could have a snack before bed? Maybe watch a movie?" Kurt asked shyly. He looked to Blaine as if he might shrink inside himself he was so hesitant to suggest this. Was this hesitation and shyness what he had done to Kurt? Blaine was ashamed of himself.

"Oh, that sounds great. I'd really like that..." Blaine said, scooting so his back was against the pile of pillows by the headboard. He patted the space beside him, hoping Kurt would join him. He saw the hesitance in Kurt's movements and tried to smile a welcome.

"For old times' sake?" he asked, hoping his sincerity would work. It did. Kurt sat on the bed next to Blaine, the tray on the bed between them. The mugs of hot cocoa with whipped cream an invitation to relax and enjoy.

Kurt flipped through the available movies on his Netflix and when he heard Blaine gasp quietly, he chose that movie. It was an old one, they had watched "Casa Blanca" numerous times when they were together.

"Did you make these?" Blaine asked, indicating the doughnuts.

"Yeah, I like to bake when the weather is bad. With all the rain this week, I ended up baking several days. I remembered you love cinnamon, so I picked these instead of the brownies," Kurt said. Blaine grinned.

They ate and watched the movie in silence, each catching a glimpse of the other from time to time. It felt almost like old times. Almost.

Blaine certainly looked happy now. He was still as beautiful as he had been the first time Kurt had seen him on the staircase at Dalton. Movie star handsome with his thick silky curls tamed into a perfect style to match his prep-school image. Kurt closed his eyes for a moment, thinking back on that day. He saw this gorgeous guy, who stopped and introduced himself, then took Kurt's hand and pulled him from one life into another and nothing had been the same since. Nothing.

The movie was about half over when Kurt got the courage to ask.

"You know, you didn't answer my question earlier...do you forgive me for all the damage I did to our relationship?"

"But I did. I forgave you right after I ran. I was on the airplane and headed to LA. I wanted to turn back, to run back. It was the worst moment of my entire life. I'm sorry, Kurt. I'm sorry I wasn't the man you thought I was, I'm sorry I couldn't be what you needed." He wiped his hands across his eyes, embarrassed to be shedding tears over something from so long ago.

"Blaine, I think you need to forgive yourself."

Kurt sat and just gazed at Blaine's face, noting the red puffy eyes, the worn look that he got when he was tired. It shocked Kurt for a moment. Not the way Blaine looked, but the fact that he hadn't changed over the years.

Blaine was still once more, and Kurt could swear he heard the gears turning in his brain. He wanted so much, things he had been denied for so long. Could they reconnect now? Would Blaine even want that?


	5. Chapter 5 - Flea Market

**The Beach House – Chapter Five – Flea Market**

The rain continued to pound down even harder. It was so loud in the room, Kurt had to turn up the volume on the television just to hear it. He dared to move his hand a bit closer to Blaine's, so he could feel the warmth that radiated from it without actually touching it. If Blaine objected, Kurt could always say he hadn't noticed...no, he couldn't lie. Of all the things he and Blaine had done to each other at least they had never lied.

Blaine tried to smile as he set the empty mug down on the tray. He noticed that Kurt was done, too, and all the cinnamon doughnuts were gone. He tried to keep up at least the appearance of smiling.

Kurt knew it wasn't real. Blaine's eyes sparkled when he was really smiling, his dimples showed and he was very animated. Kurt knew that Blaine had always had a sort of desperate need to make people like him. What most people took as Blaine's charm, Kurt knew was Blaine trying to please people as if was expected of him – an obligation to make those around him feel at ease.

Kurt sighed. Blaine hadn't been like this around him before, it was something he saved for others. Did he think Kurt had forgotten, or worse that Kurt had never known this about him? That was enough to break his heart.

"Kurt? I'm really tired. I need to sleep – tomorrow is a busy day and I need to get Daniel home to change and get ready. I have to find another day care. I wouldn't dare leave him with those bastards that lost him," Blaine said, his voice shaking at the end. Daniel was his life and he was sick with the thoughts of what might have happened.

"I understand. I'll shut this off," Kurt said.

"No need. I'll just go in with Danny," he said getting up to go into the living room to share the sofa with his son.

Kurt touched his arm.

"Stay with me?" was all Kurt asked, but the look of hope on his face reached Blaine down to his gut. Could he stay with Kurt, here in his bed? Would it be too much on a day when Blaine's emotions had been higher and lower than he thought possible.

Kurt didn't say anything else, he just held out his arms, inviting Blaine to come back, to let Kurt hold him. Feeling weak, Blaine could not refuse...

Under the warm blankets, Kurt snuggled close to Blaine. He took in the smell of his shampoo and the deep-seated scent that was Blaine himself. It was like a drug and Kurt couldn't stop taking it in.

Blaine was almost rigid, worried his affections might anger Kurt, so he was trying hard to stay away. It worked for a while, but eventually he realized that Kurt was still awake and that he was breathing kind of hard.

"Hey," Blaine whispered, "Are you still awake?"

"Yeah. I just can't fall asleep...sorry, was I keeping you awake?"

"No..."

Silence again.

"Kurt? Do you think...um...would it be...ummm..." Blaine stuttered. He didn't know what he wanted, much less what he wanted to say. This was Kurt Hummel. Kurt. His Kurt. The man he had wanted to spend his life loving – and then screwed it up. How could he come back from that failure?

"Blaine...I know this is awkward, so I'm just going to bite the bullet and talk, tell you what I'm thinking. You can agree, disagree, or add to it anything you're thinking. No judgments, okay?"

Blaine sighed in relief.

"That is exactly what I was thinking," he answered, looking less tense.

"First, this was an unexpected meeting. I mean, who would have ever predicted that we would run into each other like this?" Kurt commented.

"Not me. My head is still reeling, but it made me think – there are things I want you to know."

"Yeah?" Kurt replied, scooting a bit closer. He put a tentative hand on Blaine's bicep and waited to see if that was okay.

"I am so sorry about how things turned out. About running away from you. It was the worst thing I have ever done to anyone, Kurt, and I'm asking your forgiveness," Blaine said, looking into Kurt's eyes. He was afraid, but he had to see what Kurt's reaction was. He knew there was a lot of baggage that each of them were lugging around, but he also knew Kurt would not lie to him.

"Oh, Blaine, I can't pretend it didn't hurt. Because it did hurt me, deeply. I wanted to hate you for it, but after a year I found that I just could not hate you. I'd loved you for too long. I still love you," Kurt said, looking into Blaine's eyes in the moonlight.

"I still love you, too, Kurt."

"You know I forgave you a long time ago. I just...I missed you. Every blessed day," Kurt whispered, reaching over to put a hand to Blaine's cheek. He was still looking at Blaine, but tears were running down his face.

Blaine just laid there, not knowing what to do. He wanted Kurt back, more than he had ever dreamed. He'd lived without him for six years now, but it felt more like sixty. He had to get it out before he broke down and couldn't speak.

"Kurt, there has not been one day in the past six years that I didn't miss you, that I didn't think about what might happen if I found you again. And now..." he took a deep breath, closing his eyes and gathering his courage.

"Kurt...can we...maybe start again?" he asked. He knew it was a lot to ask, but he was willing to do anything to have Kurt back in his life.

"Yes."

Blaine took a double take. What? It was that easy?

"Are you sure?" Blaine asked in astonishment.

"Yeah. I'm sure. Blaine, losing you – living without you - was like losing my right arm. And my heart. I missed you too much and it hurt. Every day. I just want you back..." Kurt burst into tears.

"I know I'm supposed to make conditions," Kurt continued, "to set a time table, to wait and evaluate us every so often to see if we're on the right track...but I just don't want to. I want you, Blaine. Is that too much to ask? To just need you so much that I want it to start right now?" he said, his words bubbling out as fast as he could say them, fast enough to get it all out before his better sense told him not to. He had to let Blaine know what he was thinking, what he was feeling. It wasn't until he was done and looked at Blaine to see why he was so silent that he thought again.

Why would Blaine want to get back with someone that had caused him so much grief? Kurt started to turn away when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Come here, babe...let me hold you," Blaine's voice came soft and warm and just the way he'd remembered it. He snuggled his face into Blaine's chest. "Calm down, you're okay, babe, you're okay."

Kurt relaxed after a few minutes, amazed at what was happening. Blaine wasn't rejecting him. Kurt's heart was singing. He cautiously put his arms around Blaine, reveling in the feeling of having the love of his life back.

"Blaine? Are you sure?" he had to ask. He held his breath.

"Yes. I'm sure. We have to think out a lot of things, and we have to be careful of Danny's feelings, too. I don't think we can just spring something like this on him suddenly."

"No, of course not. We will have lots of talks. We can move as slow as you like, Blaine. I understand. I don't know what else to say...except that I love you. And thank you."

"We'll need to talk in the morning, if that's okay? Do you work on Saturdays?"

"I work every day," Kurt laughed.

"You said you travel?"

"Yes, from time to time. Mostly to Europe to buy art. I'm a printer- a lithographer – and I make frames, do matting, binding, a few other things. I sometimes work as an art broker, too, but on a small scale. I keep my own schedule and I don't have anything with a deadline right now, so I'm free," Kurt explained. "You didn't say what you did, though?"

"Do you know who Devon Curtis is?" Blaine asked.

"The playwright? The one whose musical, _'This Time'_ , is playing off-Broadway right now?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, that one. Ah, that's me."

"You?" Kurt asked, his eyes wide.

"Yeah...I'm that playwright. Oh, and I also do some songwriting and composing from time to time. Just to keep busy," Blaine smiled. He noticed Kurt's excited reaction.

"Oh, my stars...you are THE Devon Curtis? But...why? Why don't you use your own name?" he asked, his eyes on Blaine's face.

"It started when I didn't want you to find me. I'm ashamed to say that, but it was such a dark time and..."

"You don't have to apologize, I understand. Where did you get the name? Devon is your middle name, right?"

"Yes. And I didn't want to use your exact name, so I sort of changed that to Curtis - but it was in honor of my best friend," Blaine gave Kurt a shy smile and ducked his head in embarrassment. They were both sitting on the bed now, talking the way they used to – using their hands for emphasis, shifting their weight and moving closer or farther as they spoke.

"It's funny that we both chose careers in the arts, isn't it?" Kurt mused, studying Blaine's face.

 **Chelsea Flea Market, New York City – 2014**

" _Oh! Mercury glass ornaments!" Blaine shouted, stopping at the booth with Christmas trees he'd spotted from across the fair._

" _What's with the mercury glass?" Kurt asked, seeing the shine in Blaine's eyes._

" _My grandmother had several mercury glass ornaments. She had a stag, a dog, a pine cone and my favorites were a pair of birds – peacocks. They had real feathers in their tails. I've never seen anything like them since," he said, the most terrific grin on his face as he looked at the ornaments displayed on the trees._

" _Oh, look...a polar bear. I like this one," Kurt said, touching the ornament._

" _Me, too."_

" _But we're not here to get ornaments. We're looking for stuff for the apartment, right?"_

" _Ornaments could be for the apartment."_

" _Blaine...keep focused. We need a desk, some chairs, lamps, maybe a sofa?" Kurt reminded him._

" _I know," Blaine sighed. Kurt was always so on track when it came to shopping._

" _Let's go this way, I think I see an old desk that we could refurbish..." Kurt guided him, their arms linked together. They strolled down the row of tents and booths to look at the old desk. Blaine was barely listening as Kurt dickered with the owner of the desk, emphasizing the age, the peeling old paint, the missing drawer pulls._

" _I knew I could get this at a perfect price," Kurt crowed as they loaded it on the truck they had rented. "Now, let's go back down that far aisle, I saw a spice jar set that would work in the kitchen. It matched our Art Deco sugar, flour, coffee, and tea canister set."_

" _Do I ever get to pick something?" Blaine asked and Kurt stopped, turning on his heel to face his boyfriend._

" _What does that mean?"_

" _Nothing, I was just teasing you. I love all the things you've picked out for our home," Blaine said. He might be a bit upset, but it didn't matter, at least it wasn't worth picking a fight. He loved Kurt's taste in decoration. Well, in anything he did. Kurt was a peacock among the common geese in every way._

" _Do you? Or are you just trying not to pick a fight?" Kurt asked, getting a bit worried that he was indeed taking over all the decorating choices._

" _No, I do love your designer's eye. I wish I had that gift..." Blaine said ruefully._

" _But you do! Here, let's prove it. You go to the east and I'll head west. We'll both take $200 and buy what we find for the apartment. Then we'll compare and see who found the best object. Okay?" Kurt suggested._

" _Oh! That sounds great! Just like one of those reality/game shows on the public broadcasting station," Blaine grinned, his natural love for competition coming to the surface._

" _Okay, it starts now and we'll meet back here at the truck in one hour. Go!"_

 _Blaine took off down a row they hadn't walked through yet. Kurt walked quickly back to the booth with the mercury glass ornaments._

" _I was looking for a mercury glass ornament - of a peacock. One with real feathers for the tail?" Kurt asked the man._

" _Well, I have a lot, but not that one. Here, I was just going to put these in the trees – you can look through the box if you wish," he offered, hauling a large box up on the table for Kurt to peruse._

" _Thanks," Kurt said as he went through the selection, undoing newspaper and bubble wrap as he went._

" _Oh! This is the perfect thing!" he said, smiling a the owner and counting out the cash. He knew it was the perfect Christmas present for Blaine. He took the fragile ornament wrapped securely and hid it in his bag. Then he hurried to find a treasure for his competition with Blaine._

* * *

" _Can you do a little better on the price?" Blaine pleaded as he stood at a table. "I'm a poor college student but I promise I'll give him a good home." He was looking at a bronze lamp: a sculpture of a gold and black harlequin dancing on a black marble bridge, holding two lanterns._

" _Well, I have to get my money back. I got him in an estate sale with a truckload of similar stuff, but I paid top dollar..." the woman said, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow with the edge of her shawl. Her long braid whipped around her shoulders as she turned to finish unpacking her displays._

" _Oh...well, I only have about a hundred to spend," he lamented._

" _If you could come up with another twenty-five, it's yours," she offered, a frown on her face._

 _Blaine reached into his other pocket to get a five, then into a pants pocket to retrieve another five and a ten to add to the original hundred. He gave the woman his very best sad-puppy look and held out the money._

" _Okay, a hundred and twenty - it saves me from hauling it back to my garage," the woman growled. She handed the lamp to Blaine who leaned over to kiss her cheek. The woman blushed a slight bit._

" _Thank you!" he said, his voice showing how happy she had made him. She gave him a very brief smile and he turned to hurry to the waiting truck._

* * *

 _Kurt was still bargaining with a rather rotund man sitting in an ancient wicker chair that threatened to collapse with his every movement. He peered over his glasses at Kurt, giving him a glare._

" _I just don't know..." Kurt stalled. He was sure of this purchase, it was perfect. He wanted the two pictures in the worst way, but getting them for the best price was almost as important._

" _I can give you a break since you're buying both, but they are not just prints, you know. They're lithographs," the fat man said, his wicker chair creaking as he settled himself down and tapped his pipe on the bottom of his shoe. "And that's not even taking the frames into consideration. Those are hand carved mahogany art frames..."_

 _It took Kurt the better part of 45 minutes, watching the man as he refilled his pipe with greasy tobacco and adjusting his bifocals over and over. In the end, Kurt was able to buy the pair of Michael Parkes lithographs for his 200 dollars. He smiled, thanked the man and was off down the aisle, just making it back to the truck in time._

 _Blaine was standing by the rental truck, arms crossed and a smile on his face. Finn was standing next to him._

" _Finn!" Kurt shouted and leaned the lithographs against the side of the truck and hugged his brother. "What? When?"_

" _I came to see you. When you guys weren't home, Rachel told me you were coming here today, so I thought I'd come down and meet you," Finn smiled, looking up as Rachel walked around the far side of the truck, a music box in her hands._

" _Finn, look at this beautiful..." she stopped, looking at her best friend. "Kurt!"_

 _She flew into his arms and accepted a kiss to her brunette hair. She stepped back, a smile on her face as she hugged Blaine and returned to Finn's embrace._

" _Oh, just in time!" Kurt shouted, "You two can judge who won. Blaine and I each took a couple hundred to find the perfect addition to our apartment. Okay, Blaine?"_

" _Sounds good to me," Blaine said, looking down at an object in his arms. It was a chalkware poodle vase. It was painted pink with white roses all outlined in gold glitter. Blaine smiled lovingly at the monstrosity. Kurt's breath stopped for a moment it was so hideous. Finn's eyes rolled in his head and Rachel grew pale._

" _That's...ummm..." Kurt began, cringing at having to find something kind to say about the hideous statue._

" _Yeah, it's sort of..." Finn started, then just stood there, looking to Rachel._

" _Blaine, you know I love you, but..." she began._

 _Blaine burst out in laughter like a cannon shooting glitter. He had to lean over and hold his belly as he laughed, trying to force words out of his mouth._

" _This is not my entry into the First Annual Best Taste Competition. Watching the three of you trying to come up with something that wouldn't hurt my feelings, though...worth the dollar fifty I spent on little Fifi here," he grinned._

" _Oh, Blaine!" they all shouted at him, embarrassed they had fallen for his trick._

" _Okay, cowboy – what did you really pick?" Kurt asked, giving him a heartfelt chuckle at his subterfuge._

" _I'll get it..." Blaine said, walking over to the cab of the rental truck and getting the lamp._

" _Oh, that is beautiful!" Rachel chirped, "If you don't want it, I'd take it in a minute."_

" _No – that is going in our loft!" Kurt inserted, quick to realize the beauty of the bronze sculpture._

" _Is that a clown lamp?" Finn asked, giving the work of art a close eye._

" _It is actually a harlequin, a bronze sculpture," Blaine explained._

" _But it's still a lamp, right?" Finn argued, not wanting to lose face in front of his girlfriend._

" _Yes, but...not a clown lamp. It's a work of art," Blaine insisted, looking at the gold leaf that made up half the diamonds on the harlequin's costume and the crystal globes of the two lanterns he held in his meticulously sculpted hands._

" _Let's see what you found, Kurt," he smiled, giving his boyfriend an encouraging kiss._

 _Kurt brought out the two lithographs in carved wooden frames._

" _I'm going to let the two of you decorate my apartment from now on," Rachel enthused, clapping her hands as she looked at the pictures._

" _Oh, I've seen this artist's work before," Blaine said. "Is it Jack Vettriano?"_

" _Close...it's Michael Parkes," Kurt said, a winning smile on his lips as he saw Blaine's eyes sparkle._

" _I don't get it – I thought you guys were gay, that naked women turned you off," Finn asked, blushing. He liked the prints – one of a naked woman sitting on some kind of ruins, a lioness reclining with her head on the girl's knee and the other painting had a naked woman reclining next to a lion and holding a lion cub up in the air – but he couldn't conceive of his gay brother picking out paintings of naked women._

" _It's art. I don't hate women, Finn. I think they're beautiful, I just don't feel any romantic feelings towards them," Kurt said, giving his brother a curious look._

 _Finn turned to Blaine, the question unspoken on his lips._

" _It's the same way I feel, Finn. Yes, the female body is beautiful, and I hope I know what is pleasing when I see it – I have many female friends: Tina, Quinn, Brittany, and your pretty girlfriend here," Blaine tried to explain, smiling at Rachel, "I just don't want to date them."_

" _Okay, I guess I understand that," Finn blushed again. He looked back at the paintings, evaluating them in his head and comparing them to the bronze harlequin._

" _Well, who wins?" Kurt asked and the discussion of the attributes of each piece of artwork went on for a while until they just gave up and called it a tie._

* * *

"Yes...I mean, we both went to school for performing arts, and neither of us is on Broadway," Blaine said.

"You are."

"I mean neither of us is singing or acting," Blaine clarified. "I didn't learn scriptwriting at NYADA."

"I actually didn't graduate from NYADA either," Kurt said.

"No?" Blaine looked at his ex, wondering just how many things in Kurt's life changed because he'd left that night. He looked over at his ex, his face sad.

"Hey, now, it isn't all bad you know. After that night – I just couldn't go on at NYADA. Finn and Rachel made me go home to Lima and I lost my momentum. When I was well enough to come back, Carmen Tibedeaux gave me a month to catch up. I wasn't able to do that. I ended up at NYU in their design program with a minor in fine arts. My interest had shifted, from performing to printing."

Blaine put his head down in his hands.

"I did that to you...is there no end to the destruction I caused you?"

Kurt sat quietly, contemplating what he should answer. In the end he put his arms around Blaine's neck and kissed his cheek.

"I love my life now. I wanted to study art and I'm glad I did. I've been successful, I have less stress than I would have had as a performer, and I'm happy. My one great disappointment in life – well, maybe my chance to make things right is now sitting here beside me and we are talking – what else could I ask for?"

Blaine nodded, unable to say anything for a few moments.

"Are you regretting not finishing at NYADA?" Kurt asked.

"No, not really. I mean – if I had gone in that direction, I would probably be happy, but writing? I never guessed how much it fulfills me. I do love the whole process – the ideas, the organization in my mind of how the story will play out, the ability to imagine things in detail, and then there is the songwriting aspect of it. If I were performing on Broadway now, could I actually write my own songs? The chances of that are thin, don't you think?"

Kurt nodded, running his hand down Blaine's arm to lace their fingers together.

"And now here I sit – with the love of my life, the love I thought was gone from me forever, Kurt. I feel like I'm dreaming."

"Me, too," Kurt said. He wanted to just push Blaine back on the bed and cover him with kisses – but better sense told him that might ruin everything. He didn't want to scare Blaine into disappearing again, so he settled for squeezing his hand. Blaine gave him a smile.

"Speaking of dreaming, it is almost one in the morning. We better get some shut-eye if either of us is going to be of any use come morning," Blaine said.

"Okay. Is it okay if we...nevermind," Kurt begged off, turning his head away.

"If we what?" Blaine asked, touching Kurt's hand.

"I was going to ask if we can...cuddle?"

"Sure, I'd like that," Blaine said with a shy smile. He scooted back down in bed, holding the covers open for Kurt. They lay just as they had so many years ago, Blaine in back of Kurt, his chest to Kurt's back and Kurt's arms around him. He gave a contented sigh and fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Date

**The Beach House – Chapter Six – The Date**

"The surprises from today are just...neverending," Kurt said when he realized Blaine was still awake. It was a quarter of three in the morning and Kurt had found himself awake, so he went to the bathroom and was back in bed as quietly as he could be. It was of no use, Blaine's eyes were shiny in the dark room.

"I thought for a minute there that I was dreaming, but I felt you get up and I couldn't go back to sleep," Blaine said.

"I'm so sorry. You used to be able to sleep through anything – I guess there is one aspect of you that actually _has_ changed," Kurt teased.

"It comes with parenthood. It didn't take long after I had Danny that I was awake every time he rolled over in his crib," Blaine chuckled. "Just wait – you'll find out when you have children..."

Kurt sat back, his head buzzing as he realized what Blaine was saying.

"You think I'm going to be a father one day?" Kurt asked, incredulous.

"Oh, Kurt. You always wanted to be a father, and Burt wanted grandkids even more. I can't imagine you not having a baby of your own – I can just imagine her with long chestnut hair and big blue eyes. I guess I used to dream about the day when we..." Blaine stopped suddenly, his face blushing a deep red.

"Oh, my God, Kurt. I am so sorry...I ...um...I know that is none of my business. Please accept my apology, I didn't mean any harm by what I said." Blaine hung his head, shaking it back and forth for a few moments.

Kurt sat stiffly, his brain working overtime. He should be offended, but he wasn't. He'd imagined a little boy with Blaine's silky curls and his bright hazel eyes – those long eyelashes fanned across the rosy cheeks. Then he realized something. That was the exact description of Daniel. He wasn't ready to admit it, but Blaine was who he thought of when he found the wet and shivering little boy behind the trash can in the pavilion. He wasn't even that surprised when the boy said his last name was Anderson.

Kurt looked up at Blaine, taking in the sheepish look on his face. He had said...? Oh, he'd apologized for telling Kurt what he had dreamed when they were together.

"You don't need to apologize, I was thinking the same thing back then. The difference is – I got to see my dream come true. Daniel looks just like you," Kurt smiled. He reached across the bad and took Blaine's hand in his own.

Blaine blushed. He knew there was a resemblance, and he was happy that Kurt saw it, too. He remembered the late night talks about the future, their future together and he recalled that they had always ended it with talking about their children. They wanted two, one of Blaine's DNA and one with Kurt's. How could he have forgotten that?

"Kurt?"

"Yeah?"

"So, let me make sure I understand what's happened here. You want to try again?" Blaine asked. It was what he wanted more than anything in the world, but he was scared at the same time.

"Yes. Don't you?"

"Yes, Kurt. I really do. I tried to move on, but..."

"...but it was never right? Yeah, that's what happened with me, too." Kurt finished Blaine's sentence for him.

It was quiet for a few minutes, each man with his own thoughts. Kurt moved, his hands now framing Blaine's face and just gazed at him. He blinked a few times, as if he couldn't believe Blaine was real, and then kissed him. It was soft and sweet and everything they wanted it to be. Blaine kissed back, his eyes closing as he hummed in satisfaction. They continued to kiss, just soft touching of lips – not deepening it to passion yet. Slowly Kurt moved his body to cover Blaine, resting most of his weight on his knees and arms, and lowered himself so he was touching all of Blaine. He could feel the heat from his body, the stiffness that hardened as Kurt moved gently across him.

Blaine was losing himself in it. His body remembered how to do this, it wanted to respond immediately to this man. But was he afraid. He had been in love with Kurt from the first, and fell deeper in love every day since. He pushed closer, feeling the warmth and remembering how passionate Kurt could be.

"Blaine..." Kurt gasped, letting his emotions run away with him. He kissed Blaine again, his mind drifting off to other days.

"We need to talk this over..." Blaine said, putting a stop to Kurt's actions. He froze for a moment, then pulled back. "I think we need to think this over carefully, we need to come back together with no reservations. We can't make that decision in the first hours we see each other again."

"Yeah, I understand. We need to be sure the playing field is level – that everything is okay between us. How do you want to do that?" Kurt asked.

"How about we take a vacation? I own a small house on the beach, my grandmother left me her summer house when she passed away a few years ago. Would you consider going there with me, maybe stay for a week?" Blaine asked, hoping Kurt would find that a good place to rekindle their love.

"Oh, that sounds perfect," Kurt said before he had given it any thought. "I can take some time off, lord knows I haven't taken a vacation in two years at least. Are you free to go?" Kurt asked, his hope plain on his face.

"Yeah, I just got done with the rewrite of the play they're doing at the Belasco. They had opening night, so I'm free for a while. I know Danny will love it, he loves the beach," Blaine said.

Kurt startled. He had forgotten about Danny. Would Blaine be able to concentrate with his young son there? Kurt was willing to try.

"Okay. We can make plans tomorrow. I'm still so tired, though – can we try to get some sleep?" he asked. Blaine smiled. He knew that Kurt could burn the candle at both ends for a while, but it always came to the day he had to get his rest. Kurt was a marathon sleeper when he was tired.

"Sure, Kurt. I'm just going to step into the other room to check on Danny. He might be feeling strange sleeping somewhere other than his own bed," Blaine whispered, opening the door gently. Kurt gave him a sleepy smile and turned over to fall back asleep.

* * *

In the early afternoon, Kurt woke when the sun poured through the window to fill his bedroom with light.

"Blaine?" he asked as he woke up, feeling behind him for his ex. The bed was cold. He got up, pulling on a robe and stumbling into the living room. There was no trace of Blaine or his young son anywhere. The dishes from last night were washed and put away, the counters and stove scrubbed to a bright glimmer. The only thing that was out of place was an envelope sitting on the mahogany coffee table with his name on it in flowing script.

Sitting on the sofa where that darling little boy had been sleeping, Kurt opened the envelope:

 _ **Dear Kurt,**_

 _ **I didn't want to wake you, you looked so peaceful.**_

 _ **Danny woke a bit confused and worried. He had such a hard day yesterday – being abandoned by people whom he trusted in the scary thunderstorm took its toll. Lucky for him, an Angel was there to rescue him. He asked me about the Angel this morning and I told him we would go home and maybe we could meet the Angel for supper.**_

 _ **If that fits into your plans, please call me and we can arrange it. Danny wants to say Thank-you.**_

 _ **Love, Blaine**_

Kurt grinned. Of course he wanted to meet them for supper!

 _ **Ring, Ring.**_

 _ **Blaine:**_ Hello?

 _ **Kurt:**_ Is this the father of Daniel?

 _ **Blaine:**_ (laughing) Yes, it is. How can I help you?

 _ **Kurt:**_ I would like to take young Daniel up on his offer of supper tonight. Is that invitation still available?

 _ **Blaine:**_ Of course! How does 6:30 sound?

 _ **Kurt:**_ Too far away I think...

 _ **Blaine:**_ Sure, how about 5:30?

 _ **Kurt:**_ Sounds perfect. Where can we meet?

 _ **Blaine:**_ Do you know Renai's? On 69th?

 _ **Kurt:**_ Yes, I do. I love that place. So, I will meet you there at 5:30.

 _ **Blaine:**_ The Anderson men are looking forward to it.

Kurt smiled. He had a few hours and decided to go to his studio to take stock of what he needed to work on to get the place ready for him to leave on vacation. He dressed quickly and caught the subway to his old Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.

Walking into the studio, Kurt looked around in a way he hadn't in a long, long time. He'd kept the loft, maybe as a memento of his time with Blaine, or maybe because he just couldn't let go. He wondered what Blaine would think if he knew – make that _when_ , not _if_. Kurt was determined to rekindle their romance. He'd spent too many years pining over his lost love not to want to make it work this time.

Kurt walked over to the small space he used for entertaining clients. It was set up like a small sitting room in the space that once held his dining room. Touching the harlequin lamp that Blaine had chosen at the Chelsea Flea Market, Kurt had tears in his eyes at the thought of how he felt so many years ago. He recalled the feeling from that day, as if nothing in the world could touch him in his joy - the joy of being with Blaine, the man of his dreams since he was fifteen years old. And now, after so many years of crying himself to sleep, his life suddenly seemed full of promise once again.

The printer sat down on the old leather sofa, his favorite place to relax in the studio. He glanced over the equipment he'd purchased, one piece at a time, making sure he got the best quality his money could buy. He wanted his work to be the best, and he worked hard to make it that way.

Kurt used his computers, he owned several, but loved the old way of making prints more. He'd been lucky to find an older lithographer that was retiring, willing to let Kurt buy his machines because he showed such an interest in the old way of doing things.

Feeling restless, Kurt got up to walk along the far wall where he kept the chemicals used in his trade. There were cans and bottles, tins and containers, all lined up on the wooden shelves where his bedroom used to be. He reached out a hand to touch the labels: linseed oil, calcium nitrate, aqueous solution of gum arabic. He remembered when he'd taken classes in lithographic printing – how all these names seemed so exotic and magical. There were acids and bases, pigments and ink, neatly arranged in order of use. Each had a purpose in the process and Kurt knew what to do each one.

He moved to the tall oak cabinets, the large but shallow drawers that he bought from an old defunct map company to hold his prints and papers. Here he had paper from all over the world: mulberry paper from Japan, papyrus from Israel, and hemp from China. He knew how to make paper by hand – he'd spent months playing with the pulp, china clay, and chalk to make the bright white paper he wanted. He worked with the frames and screens until he'd perfected his process. Just touching the deckled edges of his favorites made him flush with pride. Kurt was a perfectionist at heart and he knew he was good at what he did.

Walking around to the press that stood in the corner, Kurt was careful not to touch anything with ink still on it. India ink could stain. He'd had to re-enforce the floor here, the printing press was so heavy and printing on it was a workout that developed his muscles over the years into hard and defined pectorals, biceps, and triceps. It was real work to run the press, plus the lifting of all the components – boxes of lead type, bottles of alcohol to mix the inks, pumping his foot to raise the platen to the rollers.

A smile came over his face as he thought of all the nights when he was exhausted from school, working his internship at Vogue, and using the press to print innumerable invitations, announcements, and calling cards he'd done to earn the money for more equipment. His hand gave him a twinge as he thought about the late nights he'd spent hand addressing so many of those - wedding invitations, graduation announcements – with his calligraphy pens and fancy colored ink. He didn't use it as often nowadays, but couldn't bear to part with the ancient press.

On the west wall were some of the antique treasures he'd collected – a few etched limestone slabs once used in the early days of lithography that he'd found on a trip to Belgium, some copper and zinc plates used in intaglio printmaking, and a collection of small woodblocks that his father had given him for Christmas last year. He smiled, thinking of the wall as his own personal printing museum.

Finally moving to his desk, Kurt sat down and looked through the calendar he kept there. No, there was nothing pressing that he had to have done in the next few weeks. It was a bit of a lull in business this time of year and Kurt was happy that he could go without any jobs hanging over his head.

It was still a few hours before he would meet Blaine and Danny at the restaurant, so he looked around for something to occupy his time. He had some old prints in the back room of circus animals that he'd taken from a picture book he gotten at the flea market. He was always on the lookout for something unusual and he'd been a die-hard fan of flea markets since the days when he went there with Blaine, Rachel, and Finn.

"Here they are," he said to the cat, Piers, who he had brought to the studio with him. Kurt found the old book and brought it out into the light. It had bright colors in spite of its age and would be the perfect gift for little Danny. Kurt spent the next two hours cutting mats and framing three of the pictures. He finally looked up from his work, surprised to find that it was time to leave if he was going to meet Blaine on time. He quickly wrapped the pictures in brown paper, tied it all together with a bright orange ribbon and was out the door, hailing a cab.

* * *

That morning, Blaine had woken up early in Kurt's bed. Well, earlier than Kurt anyway. He looked around, finding the clock on the wall and seeing it was already 8:30. He yawned and sat up. Kurt's arms moved to pull him back, but he slid out of his reach and kissed the man on his cheek. Kurt sighed and went deeper asleep.

Walking into the outer room, Blaine was happy to find that Danny was just opening his eyes.

"Daddy?" he asked, looking around him at the strange room. "Where are we?"

"Remember yesterday, baby? You were lost in the park and a man saved you. He brought you to his apartment and called me," Blaine said to jog his son's memory.

"Oh! Yes, the Angel Man. He wrapped me in his jacket and carried me here. He was warm. I was cold and hungry and that man helped me," Daniel said, remembering the events of the day.

"Yes, he did. Do you remember his name?"

"Angel."

"Oh, Danno, I agree, he was your guardian angel, wasn't he? He kept you safe for me. His name is Mr. Hummel," Blaine explained to his son, hugging the boy tight to his chest for a moment.

"He said for me to say Kurt, not a mister name," Danny corrected his father, smiling.

"Yes, honey, his name is Kurt and he's a special friend of Daddy's," Blaine said.

"Like Ginny is to me?" Danny asked, using the name of his cousin who lived down the block from them.

"Yes, kind of like that," Blaine agreed. "Now, we need to get dressed."

Blaine went to Kurt's laundry room and took Danny's clothes from the dryer. He folded Kurt's things and left them neatly on the folding table and went back to Danny.

"Here we go!" he cheered, helping his son take off the borrowed T-shirt and put on his own yellow striped shirt and green corduroy pants.

"Can we eat breakfast?" Danny asked. Blaine stood for a moment, wondering if he should wake Kurt, but decided not to.

"Let's see what we can find in the kitchen, pal," he said as he scooped his son up and walked to the kitchen. He found cereal and milk, got out a bowl and fixed it for Danny's breakfast. While his three year old was eating, he found paper and pen and wrote a quick note to Kurt.

Quickly washing up, Blaine decided to leave before Kurt woke up in case it was awkward. He thought Kurt might need a little while to get used to the idea before they were together again.

The weather was warm and dry today, so he picked up his small son and walked home. It was less than six blocks and Blaine marveled at the fact that they lived so close, but never saw each other before yesterday.

Blaine was doing a few chores around the house, making sure everything was ready for him to leave on vacation. He and Danny walked down the block to his brother's house. Back in Ohio, Quinn had lived near Blaine and they had been friends since high school. When Quinn went to college, she found Cooper was taking classes at the same university. Quinn and Cooper started to date and got married when they finished college. They moved to New York so she could continue her schooling and now she was a Nurse Practitioner. Cooper was a chemist at a medical laboratory.

Blaine had come to see if Quinn could keep an eye on his place, stop by to water the plants and feed the fish while he went to his beach house.

"I'm more than happy to help. How's Daniel?" she asked.

"Fine, now," Blaine answered.

"What do you mean 'now'?" Quinn asked.

"Well, he got lost yesterday at daycare. When the storm broke, the preschool teachers had taken the kids to the park. He somehow got lost and they didn't discover it for three HOURS. I was frantic. I was at the park looking for him, the police were there...and I got a phone call from a man that had found Danny," Blaine told her.

"Oh, my God, Blaine!" Quinn swore, her eyes big as she listened.

"Oh, that isn't all. Danny had gotten soaked in the process and was hiding behind a trash receptacle by the back wall of the pavilion. The man had ducked in there to get out of the rain on his way home and found Danny. He knew a three year old shouldn't be on his own, so he took him to his apartment a few blocks away to get him warm. His phone had died, but as soon as it was charged enough, Danny gave him my number."

"Oh, Blaine...is Danny okay? Was the man a good person?" she asked in horror, pulling her daughter closer to her. Ginny was the same age as Danny.

"You won't believe it when I tell you..."

"What?" Quinn asked, ready for more bad news. She looked at Danny to be sure he was okay.

"I got to the man's apartment – he lives just a few blocks over on 173rd. I knocked and he opened the door. I didn't look at him, just at Danny in his arms. Then I heard a gasp and look up into his face..." Blaine took a big breath. He was trying not to let his emotions take over. Quinn noticed this and put a hand to his cheek.

"Oh, Blaine, honey – you look pale. Who was it?"

"It was Kurt."

"Ah...Kurt? Wait...Kurt Hummel?"

"Yeah. You could have knocked me over with a feather. Yes, it was Kurt Hummel in the flesh, standing there with Danny in his arms."

"Oh, my God, Blaine! What is he doing here? I haven't heard from him in years. He left NYADA I know, but we kind of lost track of each other after that. Oh...I just can't believe that," Quinn went on. "How are you now?" She knew about their break-up years ago, knew the toll it took on Blaine.

"I think it was okay. I mean, I was so upset about Danny – thinking he was lost or hurt or...well, you know. He could have tried to cross a street or someone might have taken him. I was so relieved that he was safe, and that was all I was thinking. Then a while later, Kurt made us some soup and we were talking. Danny had fallen asleep on the sofa and Kurt asked if we wanted to spend the night," Blaine paused, not believing the events of the day before himself.

"Blaine! You didn't!" Quinn shrieked. The children had gone into Ginny's room to play but they came running to see what the problem was, looking a bit worried.

"Don't worry, I was telling your mama a story. Everything is fine," Blaine explained to Ginny and Danny.

"No, Quinn, it isn't what you're thinking. Danny's clothes were soaking wet. Kurt had put them in the dryer and the poor kid was sound asleep after his ordeal – he was really frightened by the time Kurt found him. We were so tired and it was cold outside and coming on to night. We just slept there. Nothing happened. Kurt and I just talked. I'm not crazy you know," Blaine huffed.

"Like a guardian angel..." Quinn said, the look of astonishment morphing into amazement on her face. "Sorry, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Wow, Kurt – living just a few blocks away. This is a small world, isn't it?" she smiled.

"It is. Well, I'm going to supper with him tonight. I don't know what will happen, but it was good to see him again, Quinn. So good," Blaine's eyes sparkled as he remembered the night before with Kurt. The fond look in his eyes was not lost on Quinn. "We talked most of the night, and I think there's still something there. I want to find out," Blaine said, a bit afraid of what Quinn might say. He needn't have worried.

"Blaine, I am glad for you, if this is what you want. Maybe we can get together with Kurt for supper one day, he and I were friends in high school, maybe we can be again," she said softly. Her mind was on her brother-in-law, however. She worried about what could happen. She had been one of the few people he had contacted after his sudden departure from New York. Quinn had been in Connecticut at the time, finishing her pre-med degree, but she had actually flown out to California to see Blaine a few times and later she and Cooper had chosen to live close to Blaine when they settled back in New York.

"I had best get Danny home for his nap. He had such a hard day yesterday, I know he's tired," Blaine wound up the conversation.

"Sure. It was good to see you, Blaine. I'm happy to help water the plants and all. You've done it for me often enough," she laughed. She and Cooper were often on the road for one reason or another. "Hug Kurt for me, okay? And...well, take care of yourself. I'm always here if you need someone to talk to," Quinn said, hugging her brother-in-law.

"Thanks, Quinn. Say hey to Cooper for me."

Blaine put Danny to bed as soon as they got home. The tired boy was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Blaine sat on the side of the bed, stroking Daniel's hair for a few minutes. He seemed a little warm to the touch, but maybe he'd just gotten heated on the walk home.

Seeing that his son was sound asleep, Blaine walked back into his own room, putting away laundry, dusting shelves, finding things to occupy his time until they left for supper. He couldn't help but think of all the good times he and Kurt had before the last fight.

After that fateful night of the break-up, Blaine had missed Kurt so much it had hurt more than he had ever thought possible. Was he brave enough to try again? Maybe he should get a second opinion. He dialed his brother's number. Cooper's voice came on immediately, giving him instructions to leave a message or call back later. There was no easy way to tell Cooper all he was thinking in a phone message.

Blaine blurted out, "I found Kurt. Call me." before hanging up.

"Daddy, we need to hurry!" Danny shouted. "He's already here!" They were in front of the restaurant and Danny could see Kurt through the front window.

"Okay, champ, calm down. We're going in now," Blaine said, grinning at Kurt as he waved at Danny through the window.


	7. Chapter 7 - Bumblebee Kittens

**The Beach House – Chapter Seven – Bumblebee Kittens**

Little Daniel could hardly wait to get to Kurt. He idolized the man that saved him in the storm and so he ran between tables in the restaurant to get to him.

"Daniel!" Kurt said in a most enthusiastic voice.

"Kurt!" Daniel shouted back.

"Hey, buddy, let's calm our voices down. There are a lot of people around us that want to have a quiet supper," Kurt admonished the small three-year-old. He was stern but very gentle with the boy. Danny stood, looking up at Kurt and smiling. Kurt swept the little guy up into his arms and gave him a hug.

"Oh, sorry. I was too excited. My Bubmlebee Kittens were running even though I didn't tell them they could," Daniel told the man very seriously.

"Your what?" Kurt asked, thinking he hadn't heard the boy clearly.

"He means his hands," Blaine explained, just catching up to his son. "Danny calls them his 'Bumblebee Kittens'. What can I say? He's three, and he has a wild imagination."

"Wait – Bumblebee Kittens?" Kurt asked.

"I have no idea where he came up with the name, but he's had them for a long time, right, Danny-Boy?" the boy's father answered, smiling at his son's imagination.

Kurt grinned.

"My Bumblebee Kittens are tired so they are going to sleep until supper. Can you put me in the booster chair Mr. Kurt?" Blaine was happy to see Kurt had thought ahead and asked for a booster seat for Danny.

"So, Danny, what would you like to eat for supper?" Blaine asked, although he knew already what his son would want. They ate here frequently.

"Ravils, please," the boy said, closing his menu and setting it down. "With chocolate milk, if I can. Is that okay, Daddy?" he asked, his golden eyes big as he asked his father.

"Yes it is, Danny. Would you like cheese raviolis with tomato sauce or meat raviolis with cheese sauce?" Blaine asked.

"The Bumblebee Kittens are deciding," Daniel told his dad.

"Okay. What looks good to you, Kurt?"

"Everything!" he said, a big smile on his face. He ate here on occasion, and he wondered why he'd never seen Blaine and his son.

"Really?" Blaine laughed.

"Maybe not all tonight. I think I'll have the baked flag orchiette with marinara sauce and a salad with house dressing," Kurt told the waitress.

"I'll have the cappelini in olive oil with artichokes, capers, and shrimp. I'll start with the zuppa toscano," Blaine ordered. He looked over at Danny who told them he wanted the cheese ravioli with cheese sauce.

"What is flag orchiette?" Danny asked after the waitress left to turn in their orders.

"Orchiette are small pasta in the shape of a little cup. The name means 'ears'," Kurt said and Danny laughed. "They call it 'flag' because the pasta are the colors of the Italian flag: red, white, and green. They make three colors using beets for the red and spinach for the green. I'll let you have a taste if you'd like," Kurt offered.

"Oh! I'd like that!" Daniel crowed and reached over to take Kurt's hand. Kurt smiled and looked at his ex to see if this was okay. Blaine met his gaze with a big smile.

"I have a little gift for you, Danny. Do you want to open it now?" Kurt asked.

Danny looked over at his dad for permission before accepting. Kurt got the three small packages from his messenger bag and set them on the table. Danny grinned and opened them very carefully. Inside were the pages from the antique book that Kurt had framed for him.

"Oh, pretty! Who are they?" Danny asked, looking at the illustrations of children's fairy tales.

"This is the Steadfast Tin Soldier, this one is The Snow Queen, and this fancy bird is The Nightingale. They are all fairy tales written by a Danish man called Hans Christian Anderson."

"Hey, that's our name! Right, Daddy?" Danny said, his eyes big.

"Right, honey."

I bet your daddy can tell you the stories, right Blaine?" Kurt asked.

"I sure can," Blaine smiled, warming Kurt's heart.

"Thank you," Danny said with no prompting. His little hands held the pictures, looking at each one, studying the figures in the illustrations until the waitress came with their food.

Once the supper was served, and Daniel proclaimed that his Bumblebee Kittens had woken up so they could feed him, the conversation went on to the beach house and the vacation.

"The house is off the coast of Maine, near Lubec," Blaine began and a smile graced Kurt's face.

"Blaine, we went there one summer – remember?" Kurt reminded him. Blaine remembered that summer quite well, he'd been so in love with Kurt and the joy of being with him every day that summer wasn't something he was likely to forget.

"Your grandparents asked us to spend the summer – it was between junior and senior years. I loved it there! Your grandparents left the house to you?" Kurt asked, his eyes sparkling as he recalled that idyllic time – they'd spent every moment together. They had gone beach combing and walked all over the area, finding jasper on the beach and filled a box full of sea glass that Kurt kept. The pretty pieces of sea glass in so many colors were in clear glass bowls on his bookcase in his office.

"Yes, I wasn't sure if you remembered, though," Blaine said, looking shy for a moment.

"I still have the sea glass we picked up from the beach when the tide went out each day," Kurt said, his voice a little thick as he tried to calm his emotions. He could feel in his pocket, the keychain he'd carried since high school - it was made of a piece of red jasper that Blaine had found and given to him that summer.

"Those were good old days, we never had a care in the world, did we?" Blaine said rhetorically.

"I don't remember it the same, if you mean high school. There were all the bullies and the stress and heartbreak of being hated for _what_ I was, not _who_ I was. I don't have great memories of that era," Kurt groused.

Danny's brow furrowed at the thought of his Kurt-Angel being sad. He looked to his father to see if he could fix this. His daddy nodded to the little boy and leaned forward, taking Kurt's hand into his own.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that, Kurt, but it got better, didn't it?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah, it did. Thanks to you, Blaine," Kurt said, his eyes getting a bit misty. Blaine was indeed the one who saved him from the bad things at McKinley. He let Blaine hold his hand, giving a squeeze before releasing it.

"Are you ready for the million dollar question of the evening?" Blaine asked and smiled when Kurt nodded at him. "Were you able to check and see if you can get away for two weeks to the wilds of Maine?" Blaine asked.

"Yes, I didn't have a lot planned and I was able to switch around a few clients, so I'm all yours for the next two weeks," Kurt told him, his face full of smiles and sparkling eyes.

Blaine let out a sigh of relief. He really wanted this to go well.

"So, we leave tomorrow morning?" Kurt wanted to know. His luggage didn't pack itself and he wondered how on Earth Blaine managed with a 3 year old.

"If that fits your plans?" Blaine asked, his face showing just how much Kurt's answer meant to him. He caught Kurt's gaze, looking deep into the blue depths he had been dreaming about for so long.

"Yeah, it fits in just fine," the warmth of Kurt's voice helping to calm the nerves Blaine had been feeling all day. Blaine winked at Kurt, loving the quick smile he got in return.

"Well, perhaps we can start in the morning? I will be at your door at seven o'clock sharp," he proposed, unable to hide the relief he felt. He was finally going to be able to find his way back to the love of his life.

They finished their supper and declined the offer of dessert before standing up to leave. Kurt had taken care of the check and Blaine was helping Danny put his sweater on for the walk home.

"Thank-you, Daddy," the boy said politely.

"You are most welcome, sweetheart," Blaine replied.

Kurt was impressed with the child's manners. Blaine must spend a lot of time with his son, teaching him things like that. A wave of melancholy swept over the printer, knowing he might have been a father himself if he'd been a more careful person back when he was with Blaine. He sighed and Blaine noticed.

"Hey, is everything okay? I can arrange to go later if this plan doesn't fit into your schedule, Kurt. No problem," he offered. The last thing he wanted was to irritate Kurt right now.

"Oh, no! No, there's no problem. I think I'm just – I don't know, maybe tired? I need to get home and get a good night's sleep. That's a ways to drive, up to Maine, if I remember correctly," Kurt said.

"Yes, it is, but we'll do fine. Can we walk you home?" Blaine asked, a shy smile on his face.

"We can walk part ways at least," Kurt smiled, holding out his hand to Danny.

"How many blocks, Daddy?" Danny asked.

"About five, then Mr. Kurt will go south and we'll go north, okay little buddy?" Blaine spoke to his son.

"Thank you, Daddy," the little boy said, grinning up at his father's face before reaching up to take Kurt's hand. "Can we hold hands while we walk, Mr. Kurt? I don't want to be left behind ever again. It was scary and cold," the boy said in a stage whisper.

Kurt went down on his knee to be the same height as the boy.

"We won't ever forget you, sweetheart – not ever. I promise that as long as I'm around you will be safe," Kurt explained to Danny. The young boy put his arms around Kurt, leaning close and surprising the man when he kissed his cheek. Blaine smiled at his son's affection for Kurt, quickly turning and leading the way out of the restaurant.

While the thunderstorm had gone yesterday, today had its own surprises and the three left the restaurant only to find themselves walking in a soft, misty rain. Blaine automatically pulled Danny's hood up and tied it under his chin to protect him from the chilly air. Kurt scooped the boy up, holding him way up in the air until his good-natured giggle could be heard down the block.

"Okay, kiddo, I'm going to put you back down. Your voice could shatter glass!" Kurt laughed, delighted to be permitted to play with the son of his friend.

They walked a few blocks, Danny's hands faltering in their grip and his feet slowing down.

"Tired, little monster?" Blaine asked.

"Do you think he's coming down with something after yesterday's escapade?" Kurt asked, showing concern.

"He's fine, I think he's just a bit tired, right Danny Boy?" Blaine said, but decided to keep a close eye on him just in case.

"I'm not tired, but my feet are. Can you carry me, Daddy?" Danny pleaded, looking up at his father with a begging expression.

"How about if I carry you?" Kurt offered. He liked it yesterday when he held the boy close in his arms.

"Sure, Mr. Kurt. Thank you," he said, holding up his arms to his father's friend. Kurt glanced at Blaine for permission and leaned over to scoop the three-year-old up when he got a nod of approval.

"There, kiddo, is that better now?" Kurt asked and got a hug and a kiss on his cheek before the child laid his head down on Kurt's shoulder. The look of content on Danny's face was sweet as he snuggled closer and closed his eyes against the soft rain.

They walked in companionable silence until they got to the crossroads where Kurt would turn off to go to his apartment.

"Hey, maybe you could come over to my apartment for a little while? I know we didn't plan anything, but I just don't want to end our evening together yet," Blaine said when Kurt was getting ready to hand Danny back to his father.

"How far is it?" Kurt asked.

"Just a few blocks. Here, hand Danny to me; I can carry him the rest of the way, Kurt."

"Even though he's small, children seem to gain weight when they fall asleep," Kurt mentioned with a smile. "I was serious, though, I'd like to carry him. Thank you, Blaine," Kurt said softly when Blaine agreed. He kissed Danny on his soft curls.

They walked through the wet New York evening, looking at the sky to try to point out stars – Blaine was remembering the night he and Kurt spent on the roof of the building where their loft was. Kurt saw the apprehension in Blaine's face. "Don't worry, Blaine, we're going to be fine." Kurt said, sounding confident. They walked another block before Blaine stopped in front of an older brownstone building with a door that led to a wooden staircase.

"This is my building," Blaine said, turning the knob on the door after inserting the key. They went up the narrow stairs and Blaine stopped in front of another door, unlocking this one, too. He waved Kurt in first and locked the door behind them. Kurt arched a brow and Blaine walked down a hallway to his son's room.

Gently removing Danny, who now resembled a sleepy koala, from Kurt's chest, he laid his son down in his bed and started stripping him of his damp clothing. He dressed the tired boy in warm flannel pajamas and covered him up with his blankets. Blaine leaned over and kissed his son's cheek. The boy was already asleep. Kurt also gave him a tiny kiss and took Blaine's hand as they left the room.

"Thanks, Kurt. I know he gets heavy after a while. It was a nice night to walk home, even with the rain," Blaine said, trying for small talk to ease the nervous energy they were both feeling.

"Would you like to sit down? I have a nice bottle of zinfendel or maybe a chardonnay in the wine rack if you'd like a glass," Blaine offered.

"That sounds lovely," Kurt smiled and took a seat on the small sofa by the stereo. Blaine appeared in a few minutes, a bottle of riesling in his hand. He raised his eyebrows at Kurt who nodded that yes, he liked the riesling.

Blaine set the two glasses down on the old trunk he was using as a coffee table. Pouring some wine into the pair of crystal glasses, he ventured a glance at Kurt, seeing his eyes looking back intently. Something was definitely going on. Blaine could feel the heat.

"Let's drink to finding each other after so much time," Kurt suggested and Blaine smiled as he clinked his glass to Kurt's.

"Here's to good fortune, serendipity, and fate," Blaine said, his eyes seeking out Kurt's. He could see the warmth in them as they each tipped back their glasses and drank the sweet wine.

"I am still...I don't know...flabbergasted? Amazed? Astonished? So many things are still racing around in my head," Kurt admitted. He felt shy to bring up the awful past, but he was spending the next two weeks with Blaine – just the two of them in a small Victorian on the beach. Well, Daniel would be there, too. What if they ended up in a fight and Kurt would be all alone out there? No, Blaine would never leave him stranded. He needed to be positive.

"I think it must have been fate. I really do, Kurt. The cosmos getting together to help us to find each other, just when we each needed the other the most, wouldn't you say?" Blaine suggested. He sat down close to Kurt on the love seat, leaning in and taking Kurt's hands as he continued to speak.

"I have a good life, and Daniel is a large part of that, but I am going to be honest here. I'm lonely. I have dated a little – mostly blind dates set up by friends and good-meaning relatives – but no man was ever right. I didn't even give most of them a kiss at the end of the date. I just had no interest in anyone that wasn't you, Kurt. That is the sad truth of it," Blaine said, pouring another glass for himself after topping off Kurt's.

Kurt just looked into Blaine's eyes. He could see the truth in them, that Blaine was truly unhappy. He could tell that the man loved his son, but having a loving relationship with your child is no replacement for a loving spouse.

"Oh, Blaine...that just breaks my heart. I'm so sorry. I know how you feel, though. I have had just a few dates over the years, mostly clients or friends of friends. Nothing I felt good enough about to pursue. What have we done to each other?" he asked, his voice breaking.

Blaine saw the hurt in Kurt's eyes once more and hated himself for his part in it. It may be true that every man is responsible for his own happiness, but he felt he was responsible for stealing Kurt's happiness and maybe his confidence, too, away – and he hated himself for it.

"Blaine?"

"Oh...I'm sorry, I guess I was distracted. What did you say?"

"Nothing, I was just...well, I better get home and finish packing if we're leaving in the morning," Kurt said.

Blaine got up, holding his hand out to help Kurt to his feet.

"I understand, yeah, we're going to do better if we get an early start," Blaine muttered. His expressive toffee brown eyes sought out Kurt's crystal blue and they just gazed for a long moment.

No words were spoken, but both men moved to hold the other in their arms, Blaine's cheek on Kurt's shoulder while he tried to stop his stomach from churning. Kurt sensed the turmoil that Blaine was experiencing and slowly put his arms more tightly around the shorter man, holding him in a warm hug. It felt so good to be able to hold Blaine again – something Kurt had thought was lost to him forever.

Suddenly, both Blaine and Kurt were so deep in emotions, so thrilled to have their love back in their respective lives, they could feel the electricity crackle between them.

"Kurt...will you come with me? To my bed?" Blaine whispered, very low so Kurt could ignore it if he wanted to. Kurt's body responded before his brain was able to form words and he found himself following Blaine to the bedroom at the end of the hall, his breath sharp and quick in his lungs, his eyes trying to land on something immobile to try and stem the dizzy circles his head was trapped in.

Opening the door to his room, Blaine hesitated.

"Kurt – don't do this because you think you owe it to me or out of some kind of obligation. Please. If you come to my bed, do it because you still love me as much as I love you and you see a future for us, okay?" Blaine finally got out, worried that he might chase Kurt away, but more afraid of them being together and breaking apart once more. He could not take that. He'd lose himself this time, he was sure, but it was worth the risk to get Kurt back. He could see Kurt weighing his words, his hands shaking as he stepped closer to Blaine and wound his arms around him once more.

"Blaine, I'm going to do this because I love you. Because I don't want to waste another day being away from you. I want us to find our way back to each other..."

Blaine walked over to his bed, holding Kurt's hand and letting the anticipation of what was going to happen run shivers down his back and across his stomach. He pulled Kurt close, kissing his cheeks, his temple, his mouth. He began to undress for the man he loved for so long...one piece of clothing at a time.

The light beside the bed was on, the rest of the room in darkness, and Blaine had eyes only for Kurt as he peeled off his clothes. He felt the trembling that had invaded every inch of Kurt and pulled his naked chest close, kissing into his neck and running strong, warm hands across the tight muscles of his back.

"Hey, it's going to be okay, baby. We don't have to do anything, I won't ask you to do anything you don't want to do," he whispered into Kurt's ear, giving him open-mouth kisses on his sensitive neck. Blaine remembered the first days of exploring Kurt's body. His boyfriend was shy and only let Blaine remove his shirt under the cover of darkness one night in his bedroom, the blankets pulled up to his neck. It was literally months before he saw Kurt without his shirt and even longer before he got his first glimpse of him completely naked.

Kurt clung to Blaine's neck, his arms like iron bands as he struggled to keep his emotions in check.

"Blaine...please... _Blaine_ ," Kurt whispered, not knowing what to say or do. "Help me?"

"Sure, Kurt. Do you want to take off your clothes? You don't have to. We can just cuddle if you want," Blaine cooed to him, not wanting to coax him into too much too fast.

Kurt stepped back, relaxing his arms. He unbuttoned his shirt, taking it off and folding it to place on the chest of drawers. He then removed his undershirt followed by his jeans and socks. Wearing only his briefs, he sat on the bed and focused his attention on Blaine.

"Oh, Kurt..." Blaine barely breathed his name, his eyes drinking in the beautiful body on display before him. He'd always thought Kurt was beautiful, with milk-white skin that turned to a light golden color where the sun was able to touch him. His hair was that shade of chestnut that made Blaine think of wild horses - and paired with his crystal blue eyes...

"Kurt, you are still so beautiful. You make my heart pound and my breath stop when I look at you," he said in a hushed voice, as if he were in church. Kurt blushed.

"Your turn, _mon cher_. I've missed your sexy body for way too long now," Kurt encouraged his friend, a smile coming from Blaine's face when he heard the French endearment he remembered from so long ago.

Blaine didn't hesitate for a moment. The quicker he removed the fabric in his way, the quicker he would have Kurt naked and in his arms. He was down to his briefs in just a few minutes and got in bed, pulling the blankets back and patting the mattress for Kurt to join him.

They had slept together last night, but it was platonic. They had still been in shock at finding one another.

Now it was different.

Kurt slid under the blankets and sheet, his whole body rubbing along Blaine's side as he settled next to him.

"Kurt..." Blaine's voice caressed the name as if he was reciting poetry and Kurt blushed once again. "Come here to me, baby. I've missed this so much, so damn much."

His hands ran down Kurt's back, feeling each muscle and skimming over the ribs that still somehow stuck out just a bit.

"Are you taking care of yourself, baby?" Blaine asked, suddenly worried.

"Yes, of course. I mean – there were some rough days – but no, I'm not starving myself and I do exercise. Do I look too thin?"

"No, of course not. I just remember you don't eat when you're worried."

Kurt turned so he was facing Blaine, his nose just fit into the space between Blaine's collarbones. He kissed Blaine's skin here.

"You still taste the same, he giggled, then kissed him again, running his tongue around the bones below his neck. Blaine surprised himself when a soft moan escaped his throat. Kurt pulled back, too, scrutinizing Blaine's face.

"Do you want me to stop? We can just cuddle if you'd rather," Kurt offered, afraid he'd crossed a line that Blaine was not ready to cross, forgetting that Blaine had just said the same thing to him.

"No, don't stop. I invited you into my bed..." Blaine told him in a soft, seductive voice.

Kurt went back to kissing Blaine's neck, knowing how sensitive it had always been, knowing how the quietest noises from Blaine would flow through his blood and settle in his spine, ready to burst forth if the stimulation grew stronger. He wiggled in closer, pushing his pelvis closer as he continued to nibble and kiss Blaine's neck and shoulders. He could small Blaine's scent here – clean like fresh linen but so masculine. That was what he remembered the most, that male scent that ran through his blood and into his bones when he was with Blaine. The air was getting heated and Kurt pushed back some of the blankets.

"Blaine..." he breathed, wanting to go on but scared to do so with Blaine just lying there. Then he could feel the trembling start.

Blaine opened his eyes to see Kurt, to learn everything through his eyes. It was so much like old times, but so new, too. Kurt was much bolder than he'd been before and Blaine found he liked this new thing.

Continuing down his chest, Kurt kissed with an open mouth, tasting the tiny bit of sweat that was rising on Blaine's skin. He whined, wanting more but afraid – so afraid. What if Blaine rejected him again? He didn't know if he could take that. He began to not only tremble but to shake.

"Kurt, this is right, angel. I promise, this time it's right between us...please, don't doubt me. I want this...I want everything with you, baby. Please...can we be together again?" Blaine was rushing words, stumbling and whining, saying anything that came to him as he closed his eyes tightly and wished with everything he had that Kurt – _his Kurt_ – would forgive him and take him back.

"Blaine...you're all I've dreamed of for years. I know I'm vulnerable, but I trust you. In spite of everything, baby, I trust you," Kurt stammered back, his vision clouding and his head spinning. Suddenly he couldn't breathe...there was no air and he tried to gasp but it came out as a squeak. He was afraid...

Blaine sat up, looking at Kurt as he lost consciousness.

"Kurt! Kurt...wake up, angel...breathe..." he shouted, seeing Kurt's lips turn blue. Blaine rocketed from the bed, grabbing his phone and dialing quickly.

"Hello?" came the woman's voice from his phone.

"Quinn! Help me...Kurt is here and we were..and he was upset...he's not breathing and he's blue on his lips and fingernails..."

"Blaine. Stop. Calm down and go to him. Tell me, is he breathing?"

Blaine dropped the phone, picked it up and made an effort to make himself calm. He could do this. He leaned over Kurt and watched closely.

"He's taking in shallow breaths now, his lips are not blue anymore, but he's trembling. His muscles are trembling," Blaine said.

"I'll be right there. Keep talking, I grabbed my jacket and I'm coming," Quinn told her brother-in-law. She kept him talking while she jogged the two blocks to his apartment and let herself in.

"Quinn, in here!" Blaine shouted, pulling his sweat pants on. He made sure the blanket was covering Kurt as Quinn walked into his bedroom. She quickly pulled her stethoscope from her pocket and listened to Kurt's lungs and heart.

"Okay, he's breathing well, his heart sounds strong and regular..." she started to tell Blaine when something grabbed her wrist and she jumped.

"Quinn? Quinn Fabray?" came a broken voice.

"Hi, Kurt," she said, not sure of what to say. He was very obviously naked in her brother-in-law's bed. "It's Quinn Anderson, though, not Fabray."

Kurt's eyes got wide and he glanced over at Blaine, grasping the top of the blanket to bring it up around his neck.

"Oh, no, honey...not Blaine! No, I'm married to Cooper. Blaine's brother? You know Cooper," she said, still monitoring his breathing. He made to sit up, but she placed a warm hand on his chest and eased him back down. He was still having some problems breathing.

"My...in my pants pocket..." Kurt tried to ask, pointing at his jeans folded in the chair. Quinn understood, reaching to the chair to find his trousers. She brought them close and Kurt reached into the pocket to get an inhaler. He turned to his side and pushed out as much air as possible from his lungs, then pressed the white container into the red case and the medication was released as he took as big a breath as he could manage. He suppressed the resulting cough and held the medicine in as long as he could, exhaling hard.

"Asthma or panic attack?" she asked. Blaine's eyes grew even bigger as Kurt gave her a small quirk of a smile before answering.

"Both maybe?...I'm okay, just with the weather and all..." he squeaked again and she nodded at him to take another puff of the inhaler. He was more successful this time and got it deeper into his lungs.

Kurt was finally able to sit up, still a bit hazy as he waited for his head to clear.

"Quinn, it's good to see you," he said, trying to inch the blanket up farther from where it had fallen to cover his chest. He wondered how much she had seen – or what she was thinking – to find him naked in Blaine's bed. If she was startled, she hid it well.

"What are you doing these days? I heard that you had quit NYADA," Quinn asked, taking Kurt's pulse as she chatted. He told her about switching to art design at NYU and now he was a printer specializing in lithography. They both knew this small talk was an attempt to make Kurt calm down.

"So, I knew you had the first year at Yale...then what, you became a doctor?" he asked. His eyes flickered over to Blaine, pacing quietly at the end of the bed. He was obviously upset by the events of the evening.

"No. I'm a Nurse Practitioner. I do many of the functions a doctor does, but no surgery. I have my own practice," she smiled, her fingers on Kurt's wrist, taking his pulse.

They chatted for a few more minutes before a small noise was heard at the door of the bedroom.

"Daddy? Why is Auntie Quinn here?" Danny asked, rubbing his eyes with his fists.

"Mr. Kurt wasn't feeling well, so she came to check on him," Blaine explained.

"Oh. Okay. Can you put me to bed again? I couldn't find my teddy bear," Danny asked, his eyes drooping.

"I can do that, okay, Danny?" Quinn asked.

"Yes. Is Ginny here? Can she have a sleep over?" Danny asked.

"No, honey, she's at home asleep. Uncle Cooper is with her," she assured her little nephew.

Quinn stopped on her way out the door.

"Blaine, if you want to go to Kurt's house to get his luggage, I can stay with Danny until you get back," she asked Blaine.

"Thanks, Quinny. I'll take you up on that. It will save us time in the morning. Do you think Kurt is okay to drive so far?" Blaine asked, still a bit worried about him.

"Yeah, he's fine. His lungs and heart sound good. The puffer was all he needed. Just make sure to have his medication along with you and I think it will be fine," she told him with a smile. She turned to wink as she followed Danny back to his bedroom.

Kurt sat up just as Quinn left and caught the wink. He blushed red.

"How about going over to your house to get your things? Quinn will stay with Daniel and we can get a good start in the morning?" Blaine proposed.

"Sounds like a plan," Kurt said, eager to get out of the embarrassing situation he'd found himself in.

They were out the door and back in less than an hour and bid Quinn a goodbye. Blaine had explained that Quinn knew about the trip to Maine because he'd asked her to water his plants while he was gone and of course he'd told her about Danny getting lost in the storm. Kurt was happy to make contact with an old friend from his Glee club, but was a bit uncomfortable about the context. Blaine had to kiss him for quite a while before Kurt was relaxed once again. It was barely eleven, so there was enough time for a good sleep before they hit the road.

"I'm guessing we need to get to sleep, Blaine?" Kurt asked as they got into Blaine's bed once again.

"I think that is best, don't you? We do need some sleep before we drive that far," he said, his reluctance heavy in his voice.

"Is it okay to cuddle?" Kurt asked, trying not to sound too needy.

"Of course, angel, I will always want to cuddle you," Blaine said, pulling Kurt tight against him and wrapping his arms around Kurt to keep him there.

"Are pajamas optional?" he pressed his luck.

"Go to sleep, Kurt. We'll have plenty of time for that at the beach house."

"Good night, baby." Kurt turned so he could kiss Blaine's mouth, keeping it easy. He had plenty of time for passion when they got to Maine.

"Good night, angel. I love you. You know that, right?" Blaine asked.

"Of course I do. I love you, too."


	8. Chapter 8 - Maine

**The Beach House – Chapter Eight – Maine**

"How much longer?" Daniel asked from the backseat of the SUV.

"About another hour, son. Are you hungry? We can stop if you need to go potty," Blaine told his little boy. Daniel was very good at riding in the car, but the long drive was a little tiring for all of them.

"I don't have to go potty, but my tummy is hungry. Is it lunchtime, Daddy?"

"I think it is! How about we stop in the next little town and get some food. What do you want to eat?" Blaine asked.

"I don't know. What is there?" Danny asked, zooming his toy airplane around. He had a stack of picture books, but had gotten tired of those fifty miles back. Kurt turned in his seat to look back at Danny.

"I was reading this tourist booklet we got at the music box museum. It says there is a famous restaurant that serves lobster rolls there: Red's. It's up the road a little ways in Wiscasset. Do you like lobster, Danny?" Kurt asked.

"I don't know. Do I like wobsters, Daddy?" Danny asked his dad, who had pulled over to the side of the road to glance at a map.

"I don't think you ever had one. Remember when we ate at Auntie Quinn's last month? She served shrimp. Did you like that?" Blaine asked.

"Are those the curvy pink things with tails? We dipped them in red sauce that looked like catsup but tasted like burning," Danny replied.

Kurt and Blaine both laughed.

"Yes, those things," Blaine agreed.

"I liked them, but not the sauce. Uncle Cooper took the sauce away and let me dip mine in mayonnaise. It was good. Ginny put lemon on hers," Danny informed them.

"Okay, well, lobster tastes a lot like those shrimp. I can get you something else if you don't want the lobster," Blaine offered.

"Do they have shrimp?" Danny asked.

"I don't know. We'll see when we get there," Blaine ended the conversation. Danny leaned back, a smile on his face. He liked being included in the grown-ups plans.

It wasn't long before they were in Wiscassett, driving along Route 1 when they saw the long line of customers queuing up at the red and white shack to buy the best seafood on the East Coast – or so it claimed in Yankee Magazine. The simple sign read "Red's Eats" - it was not a fancy restaurant.

"Two lobster rolls, one oyster roll, and a shrimp basket, please," Kurt gave the pert young girl behind the counter his order. "Three lemonades, too. Oh, and can I get that shrimp with mayonnaise instead of cocktail sauce?" Kurt asked. He paid and picked up the paper sacks, smelling the delicious odors coming from them as he walked to where Blaine and Daniel were waiting for him. His mouth was watering by the time he got there.

There were picnic benches behind Red's, overlooking the water where Blaine was waiting with Danny. They had gone to get a good place to set up for lunch.

Walking across the street, Kurt got a flash of a dream he once had – married to Blaine and sharing lunch in a neighborhood park, their children playing nearby. They would clean up after they ate and maybe feed the ducks in the lake or walk their dog. It was a dream he'd had most of his life. He shook his head and dodged away from a car driving slowly down the street. He'd been lost in the dream and didn't even see the car.

"Mr. Kurt! Why didn't you look both ways?" Danny shouted at Kurt from where they sat on the bench. "Daddy told me this morning that you have to look both ways before you cross a street!"

Kurt sat down at the picnic table and smiled at Danny.

"I'm sorry. Your Daddy is right, I should look both ways," he said, blushing at being caught daydreaming.

"You okay?" Blaine asked, his face full of concern.

"Yes. I just got caught up with something in my head. I'm fine," Kurt replied, smiling at Blaine.

"Ready to eat?" Blaine asked Danny and the boy grinned, sitting up straight on his booster chair they had brought from the car.

Kurt handed out the food. He set the shrimp basket in front of Danny and gave him a fork, then put a lobster roll in front of Blaine and himself. Last, he cut the oyster roll in half and split it between the two adults.

"Hey, Danny, would you like to try a piece of lobster? Or a bite of fried oyster?" Kurt offered.

"Yes, sir, I would. You can have a bite of my shrimp, too," the polite boy offered.

"Thank you, I'd love to try it," Kurt smiled. Danny was the most polite, cutest kid he'd ever met.

They exchanged bits of their lunch. Danny loved the lobster and ended up eating almost half of Kurt's roll, though he didn't care as much for the oysters. Kurt just laughed and gave him as much as he wanted while Blaine rolled his eyes good-naturedly. He knew giving the boy a bite of his food could mean losing most of it – and he wasn't wrong, but Kurt just seemed happy Danny was having a good time.

"Thank you, Mr. Kurt. That wobster was as good as my shrimps. Daddy says nice people share. Am I a nice person?" Daniel asked. He was tired from the long drive and yawned.

"You are one of the nicest people I've ever met, Danny," Kurt said, his voice betraying his emotions.

"Just like my daddy?" Danny asked.

"Yes, just like your daddy," Kurt agreed. Danny came over and leaned against Kurt, closing his eyes.

"Are we going to sleep here in the park?" he asked, covering his mouth when he yawned again.

"No, honey. We'll drive into Lubec. It isn't that far away," Blaine said. He was feeling happy, seeing how close Kurt and Danny were becoming. "Let's get back in the car."

Kurt picked up the small boy, glad to be able to hold him close as he fell asleep on the short walk back to the car. He opened the back door, setting the boy carefully into his seat and buckling it. He'd gotten a big surprise this morning when he found that Blaine had never sold the Navigator. It had been Kurt's since high school and he sold it to Blaine when they left for college. It was still in mint condition, Blaine took very good care of it.

They drove up to the house just before sunset. Danny had slept most of the last leg of the trip and was blinking awake. Blaine and Kurt had been sharing driving duties, holding hands over the console just like when they were in high school. They sang along to the songs on the radio and chatted about the things they had done in the past few years. It was comfortable as they fell back into the habits they had from years ago. Both of them were too shy to talk details of their possible future together yet, and neither wanted it talk about it in front of Danny.

"Where is the ocean?" Danny asked. "Can we go swimming when we get there?" he looked up at his daddy.

"We are here, silly. The ocean is in back of the house, kiddo, and it's too dark to go see it tonight. As for swimming – no, the water is too cold this far north. We can wade in the small pools on the beach, but not out into the water. Besides, you can't swim!" Blaine told his son, laughing at the pouty face he got.

"Aw, I think you'll have a good time anyway. We can look for things on the beach tomorrow. You'll see, it will be fun. Your dad and I used to go beach combing when we visited your great grandparents here," Kurt tried to cheer the little boy up.

Blaine parked the Navigator and they unpacked the car.

"I have the cooler – I'll just get the groceries put away and start some supper," Kurt offered and Danny ran to help him.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say Danny likes you better," Blaine teased his friend. Kurt smiled, but it was hard. He didn't want Blaine to think he was trying to take his place with his son. He'd have to tread carefully.

"I think it's just the novelty of having someone else around, Bee. By the end of the week I'll be out of his thoughts," Kurt tried to soothe the man. He went over and put his arms around Blaine, hugging him close.

"I know. I was joking..." Blaine said, but he didn't let go of Kurt for a few more minutes.

After supper, which Kurt and Danny made together, they sat by the fireplace in the parlor. Blaine was sitting on the long sofa, Kurt leaning into his side and Danny snuggled between them in his flannel pajamas. They were toasting marshmallows.

"Daddy likes them almost burned!" Danny told Kurt, making a face of disgust.

"They are not burned, they are golden brown," Blaine argued. Kurt laughed. He was well aware of Blaine's love of blackened marshmallows.

"How do you like them, Danny?" Kurt asked.

"Just warm, not gooey. I don't like it when they get sticky goo on my hands," Danny shared.

"I think we've had our share of marshmallows, Danny. It's time for bed," Blaine announced.

"Can Mr. Kurt tell me a story?" he asked, his eyes pleading.

"Sure, but let's ask if he wants to do that," Blaine suggested.

"Mr. Kurt, would you like to tell me and Daddy a story?" The small boy asked, his bright eyes looking up at his new friend.

"Of course, let's go," Kurt said, getting up from the sofa. He was tired from the long drive and happy to be in this place that held such good memories.

"You come up, too, Daddy, in case Mr. Kurt tells a scary story," Danny asked, tugging on his father's hand.

They walked up the staircase, taking Danny to the back bedroom. He was tucked in by both his dad and Kurt, then the adults sat in the two rocking chairs. Kurt told him the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Danny laughed through the whole story when Kurt made the voices all different. When the story was over, Danny turned to his father.

"Can you sing to me, Daddy?" he asked, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Maybe Kurt will sing with me?" Blaine said, looking at Kurt. He nodded, soBlaine started the song:

" _Hush, little baby, don't say a word, Papa's gonna buy you a mocking bird_

 _If that mocking bird don't sing, Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring..."_

Kurt chimed in the next line:

" _If that diamond ring turns brass, Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass,_

 _If that looking glass gets broke, Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat,_

 _If that billy goat won't pull, Papa's gonna buy you a cart and bull,_

 _If that cart and bull turn over, Papa's gonna buy you a dog named Rover,_

 _If that dog named Rover won't bark, Papa's gonna buy you a pony cart,_

 _If that pony cart breaks down, you're still the sweetest little baby in town."_

Danny was sound asleep, teddy bear in his arms and a sweet smile on his face. Blaine kissed his cheek, pulling the warm blankets over his shoulder. Kurt patted him gently on the shoulder, then glanced at the boy's father. Blaine nodded and Kurt kissed his cheek, too.

They walked down the stairs, each with their own thoughts as they went to the kitchen and washed the dishes, put things away, and swept the floor.

"Walk on the beach?" Kurt asked.

"Sure. I just need to be close enough to hear if Daniel wakes up," Blaine said, looking over at Kurt to be sure that was okay.

"Of course. I just thought we could sit out back. It's a full moon tonight, we can see the light on the water," Kurt said. Blaine smiled and put out his hand for Kurt, who took it as they grabbed cardigans and walked down to the beach.

"The ground is dry, would you like to sit?" Kurt asked and Blaine sat next to him. They looked up at the night sky, so full of stars now that they were away from the lights of New York.

"So beautiful..." Blaine said.

"It is, and just the way I remember it," Kurt replied.

"No, Kurt. I don't mean the beach – or the sky. I mean _you_. You are still the most beautiful man I have ever seen."

Tears gathered in Kurt's eyes. He had missed Blaine, missed being loved and cared for. His throat closed up, his emotions choking him.

"Oh, angel. I never stopped loving you, never stopped thinking about you..." Blaine whispered in Kurt's ear. He took the man in his arms, holding him close. "You never gave up on us, really, did you?"

"Blaine...I didn't. Some days I gave up on myself, I didn't even know if I was good enough for anyone to love. It was dark for a while. I don't want to dwell on those days..."

"Then we won't. What do you think about just going forward from here? We won't drown in the sadness of what happened. We can go on from this day," Blaine asked, his eyes on Kurt's.

"Yes...we can do that, baby," he smiled up at Blaine, leaning up to kiss his soft lips. It was gentle and said what he wanted to without the words he didn't know how to articulate.

They kissed for a while, each kiss getting more intense. Kurt moved to sit on Blaine's lap. Their arms were wrapped tightly around the other, suddenly desperate to be as close as possible.

"Blaine...please..."

"Please what, angel...what do you need?"

"You. Can we go back inside? I'm getting cold out here and I want to go to bed with you," Kurt whispered into Blaine's skin as he tried to get closer, his lips moving down Blaine's neck.

"Let's go..." Blaine stood up, offering Kurt his hand and pulling him to his feet.

They went back inside, locking the door behind them and going up the stairs to the bedroom.

"Can I undress you?" Blaine asked, lighting a candle beside the bed.

"Oh, I'd like that," Kurt said, a little embarrassed at the need in his voice. He had missed having Blaine's hands on him.

Blaine took a deep breath, afraid something would go wrong and Kurt would not want him. His hands shook as he unbuttoned the oxford shirt, one button at a time. He took his time with it, the hot desire for Kurt's body growing with each inch of skin showing. When all the buttons were gone, he slipped the fabric down Kurt's shoulders. Blaine was very careful with Kurt's clothes, folding the shirt neatly and setting it on the bench at the end of the bed.

He turned back to see Kurt's shy smile, something that hadn't changed with time. It brought forth so many memories of the two of them – kisses stolen in dark alcoves in the school basement, heavy petting sessions in the Hummel's house with the bedroom door left a few inches open and ears listening for Burt's steps on the stairs. So many memories.

Blaine brought himself back to the present when he heard Kurt whine quietly, discretely palming his crotch until Blaine removed his jeans.

Blaine wasn't far behind, taking off his own clothes until they were both naked and sitting close to each other on the bed. The single candle and the light from the fireplace were enough for Blaine to see Kurt's slight blush.

"Oh, my stars in heaven...Kurt, you are just as beautiful as I remember," Blaine whispered and reached out his hand, but stopped before he made contact - as if he were too afraid to touch the body laid out in front of him.

"Blaine? Can we – I want – so badly..." Kurt stammered, unable to speak an entire sentence. "Please..." was all he could think or say.

Blaine knew that right now he had to be strong for both of them.

He lay down next to Kurt, careful to only touch his arm at first. He knew Kurt could be skittish and didn't want him to withdraw. Leaning forward, Blaine let his lips touch Kurt's neck, unable to stop humming as he began to satisfy the yearning for this man he'd endured for the past years. The ache of anticipation made him feel like a teenager once again.

"Angel, can I touch you?" he asked, barely pulling back from Kurt's skin to speak.

"You don't need to ask, babe...you can do anything," Kurt replied, his eyes closing, savoring the mounting pressure in his body as he waited for Blaine to touch him.

Blaine was unsure of what to do next, so he cleared his mind and just trusted his body to know what Kurt needed. His mouth followed the curve of Kurt's neck, down to where it met his shoulder. The sigh and half-giggle he elicited from Kurt sent shivers down his spine. Following the clavicle to the other side, Blaine opened his mouth to kiss along this shoulder.

"Blaine..."

He couldn't stop now, wanting to devour Kurt whole. Blaine went from open-mouth kisses to actual licking as he neared Kurt's nipple. Kurt was never as sensitive on or around his nipples as Blaine was himself, but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy it.

Kurt's hands were not still. He was running them down Blaine's back, rubbing his spine and slowing as he reached the curve of cheeks. Blaine had the most perfect ass Kurt had ever seen and it had only gotten better over time. He stroked down each cheek, squeezing lightly and pulling Blaine closer. As Blaine's hips got closer, Kurt turned so he was underneath his love and Blaine's body took over, pressing Kurt hard into the mattress.

"Blaine...yes, please..." Kurt whispered into his neck, kissing the warm skin. His back arched and his hips bucked up before he could think to restrain himself, and it was greeted with a deep moan as their bodies fit together, shafts touching as they pressed together harder.

"Kurt, my angel, tell me what you want...I'll give you anything, just say it," Blaine pleaded. He wanted to top Kurt, but was afraid of doing it without permission and he didn't want to sway him. He genuinely wanted to have a direction to go with all of this pent-up arousal and energy.

"Blaine...I want you inside me. Please, baby, I've dreamed of it, craved it, wanted it for too long. I need you like I need air to breathe," Kurt whispered, scared to say it at first, but then blurting it out. He didn't want to wake up and find this was a dream.

Blaine reached over to the table and palmed the small bottle of lubricant gel he'd placed there earlier. He didn't exactly _expect_ to be having sex with Kurt tonight – they had just found each other once again and he didn't want to assume anything. He knew it was a possibility, and the memory of a hot make-out session from years ago when they had nothing but saliva to use as lubricant crowded his mind and he remembered it was not very successful. So he had prepared ahead of time.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked, feeling that his partner was not in the moment with him. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong, honey. I'm just a bit overwhelmed," he admitted.

"We don't have to do anything, it is not obligatory you know. We both need to have our heads in the game if we're going to do this. I couldn't stand it if you regretted anything..." Kurt said, poised to stop and get dressed if Blaine was truly so hesitant. He'd never force anything on Blaine, he was too frightened of the man leaving him once again. He could feel his cock getting soft at the thought.

"Kurt, I want this, I want you...I'm just trying to slow down a bit. We're letting the lust take over," Blaine said, then kissed Kurt deep and long. His hands went down over Kurt's ribs, feeling each one as he continued. Kurt was not ticklish, so it was fine. Blaine's hand brushed over Kurt's erection and he knew it was not as hard as before. He cursed himself for introducing doubt into their night together.

Blaine kissed Kurt again, his lips soft and gentle. He could spend eternity just kissing this man. Blaine lifted Kurt's hips to slide along and create the friction they both wanted as their cocks met.

"Ahhhhh..." Kurt whined, wanting more. Memories of past experience rushed into Blaine's brain. He knew each and every whine or moan Kurt's voice was capable of making and this was him asking for more.

"Will you turn for me, angel?" Blaine whispered, his voice husky with desire. As Kurt did so, Blaine wrapped his arm around Kurt's stomach, just touching the tender skin there as he supported and guided his lover. Blaine kissed the nape of his neck, knowing it was one of Kurt's erogenous zones. He was rewarded with a sigh and Kurt's back muscles tightened under his hands. Blaine went on kissing with open mouth as he went slowly down Kurt's spine. He loved the noise Kurt made as he got closer to the dip in his back, resorting to using his tongue to get Kurt to moan again.

Kurt settled on his stomach, arms bent and hands under the pillow. Blaine was holding him up a little, making room for Kurt's erection to grow against the mattress.

Kurt was steadily chanting now, saying Blaine's name along with other nonsense words. Blaine trembled a bit in anticipation. Kurt jumped as Blaine kissed his round cheeks, gently parting them and rubbing his slick fingers over Kurt's entrance. He enjoyed the encouraging moans and whines as he placed his index finger at Kurt's entrance.

"I want you, baby. I want you so much right now," Blaine said into Kurt's skin, lightheaded with the thought of what was about to happen.

He pressed gently and breached the tight sphincter, massaging it to loosen the muscle. The last thing he wanted was to hurt his lover, and he knew how long it had been since Kurt had done this.

"Baby, you're going to have to relax if you want my cock in here..." Blaine's low voice came gently. He did not want to hurt or tear this precious man and if he shoved himself in now that is what would happen.

Kurt's head was dizzy, lost in the dream of being with Blaine once again. After the break-up, he had never dared to hope things would turn out like this, but here he was, about to do something he had never done with anyone but Blaine. To say he was a bundle of nerves was an understatement.

"Are you sure you want this so soon, Kurt? We can just...pleasure each other, it doesn't have to be intercourse you know. We can work up to that if you'd rather."

It just about killed Blaine to say that – what if Kurt said 'no'? Blaine tried not to think too far ahead.

"Blaine...we've waited too long. I want you... _please_?" Kurt was all out begging now, and his voice was shaky.

Blaine went on massaging him, gently stretching and making sure the sphincter was relaxed enough for comfort. He continued adding more lube, making sure it was warm, then he eventually added another finger. Kurt could feel him massaging his prostate, the tingling heat filling his senses as he let Blaine in. His blood was thundering in his ears and his cock was as hard as he could ever remember it being. All he wanted was for Blaine to just take him – as hard and fast as he could.

"Yes...Blaine...I'm ready," Kurt begged, his breath coming in fast panting gulps of air.

"Okay, angel."

Blaine got back on his knees and gently turned Kurt to his side. Lying down in back of him, he hugged his arms around Kurt's waist, tugging the man closer.

"Blaine? Can we...umm...I want to see you," Kurt whined, then caught himself. He realized he would be happy no matter what position they were in.

Blaine held his lover tighter, kissing softly along the nape of his neck, knowing how sensitive Kurt was here. He reached a hand around to stroke him, amazed at how hard Kurt was now. He needed to diffuse the mounting pressure so they could both relax and enjoy this. If Blaine had his way, this was just the first time of many, many to come. Blaine needed to tell Kurt what was happening before his heart exploded.

"How long has it been, baby? Years? I don't want to tear you, honey. This is the easiest way to start, your muscles will be less tense this way," Blaine explained. He was holding Kurt, kissing his neck and nuzzling into his hair to give him enough comfort for him to relax.

"Oh...I remember our first time. It was after the opening night of West Side Story..." Kurt's voice hitched. He was letting his nerves get the best of him, chattering on and on when Blaine was holding him so close. He stopped talking, shifting his hips back to rub against Blaine.

"I remember that night, too, angel...I'd been so scared that things would go wrong, that I would hurt you. It turned out okay, though...I think tonight will, too," he said, kissing along Kurt's shoulder.

He didn't say anything else, just adjusted his hand to massage Kurt open, to be sure one last time that he was ready. The hum of encouragement sounded like a purr and assured him Kurt was more than ready and he pressed against him, holding a cheek gently to the side to create a better access. He listened closely to be sure he didn't hurt Kurt as he pushed in.

The intensity of being inside Kurt almost made Blaine's heart burst. This overwhelming pleasure, the heat and velvety smoothness made Blaine hide his face in Kurt's back to keep his voice from shouting. He couldn't stop his hips from thrusting forward until the heavy warmth of his balls were cradled against Kurt's ass and Kurt gasped.

The slick coating of lubricant that had paved the way for Bee to slide in unobstructed had pulled the breath from Kurt's lungs as he kept his pace very slow and smooth. Kurt whined a little, asking for him to go faster, but Blaine kept the slow and steady pace. He knew if he had pushed any faster he'd come – it was hard not to when he felt the pressure, the warmth, everything that was Kurt surround him. He didn't even know how much he'd missed this.

Blaine found it was difficult to pick up a steady rhythm while on his side, which was perhaps why it was the best for beginners. Any excitement the top experienced wouldn't automatically turn into fast, hard friction and cause damage of the delicate tissues involved. All of this ran through Blaine's mind as he kept the steady, slow movement. Kurt continued to moan, whine, or hum showing his intense pleasure. He'd always been quiet when they made love, never one to shout or swear very much. He internalized it, keeping a lid on the mounting pressure as he built up to the crescendo. Blaine wasn't fooled, he knew Kurt would never be like other men and he was proud of the fact that he knew and understood Kurt better than anyone.

He hoped and prayed that was still true.

"Blaine...oh, that's good, baby...so good..." Kurt murmured, pushing back now as it got easier. Blaine was having trouble keeping himself in check. He wanted to pound into Kurt, thrust and push until the heat built up to its inevitable end...but a much larger part of him wanted this to last forever, wanted to give Kurt every bit of what he needed without the unnecessary ache the next day.

Blaine could see that Kurt was taking it so easily now, he was meeting each thrust with one of his own. Kurt's voice, low and raw, rasped out now as it got deeper, moaning with an abandon that had never been there before.

"Do you want to change positions?" Blaine asked, his mouth just an inch behind Kurt's ear.

"Yes, you will still be on top, I'll just turn over you mean?" Kurt got out, his voice shaky.

"Of course, anything..."

Blaine pulled out, regret the first thing on his mind, but knowing he would only be out for a few moments. Kurt turned on his back, his arms greeting Blaine as the man lowered himself onto Kurt's chest and knelt between Kurt's knees. He slid back in, finding he still had to push to do so.

"You're so tight, Kurt. Is this okay? I'm not hurting you, am I?" he asked, a note of worry in his words.

"No...it's good, so good..." Kurt moaned, his voice curling around Blaine's ear and making the man shiver down his spine. Even Kurt's voice was making him lightheaded tonight.

Blaine pushed back in, taking his time and going as far as he could, savoring the pressure and feel of being inside the man he loved. Each time he was close, he slowed down again, changing rhythm so he could hold on once more. Kurt's hand reached for his cock, instinct taking over.

"No, angel...let me," Blaine whispered, gently grasping Kurt's hand and moving it away. He cupped Kurt's shaft in his own hand, pumping slowly in tempo with his rhythm and running his thumb over the head each time as he remembered how much Kurt liked that.

"Blaine...I can't wait, it's too...oh, God..." Kurt said. Blaine's eyes were on Kurt as the younger man came undone, his eyes tightly closed and his mouth open in ecstasy as he pulsed copious amounts of fluid from his body to run warm down Blaine's hand to pool on his stomach. It was just that scene that pushed Blaine beyond his limit. He was still holding Kurt and feeling his lover's orgasm as if it were his own. He'd been ready to climax since the first press into Kurt's body and he was out of denials now. The long lost feeling of warmth and care and love surrounded him as he came hard into Kurt, his missing piece, the love of his life. Blaine closed his eyes and blessed the stars that he had his angel back.


	9. Chapter 9 - Breakfast with Our Angel

**The Beach House – Chapter Nine – Breakfast With Our Angel**

The sun was peeking between the curtains of the small bedroom in the front of the house. Danny blinked awake, his arms tight around his teddy bear. He was confused for a moment, this was not his bedroom. His bedroom was blue and this room was painted a pale green. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and sliding down the side of the bed to go into the bathroom.

He was quick, even climbing up on the footstool to brush his teeth. Daddy always left his toothbrush beside the sink with the toothpaste already on it. He rinsed his mouth and stepped down, picking up his bear and running across the hall to Daddy's room.

He knocked, but there was no answer. Daniel shifted his weight from foot to foot, impatient to get his morning hugs. As he was waiting for his father to answer, the little boy planned his day in his head. He wanted to go see the ocean as the water splashed up on shore. He loved to look for treasures on the beach when the tide was out. Last summer he found special shells, crab claws, and pieces of sea glass. He had his collections set on the window sills of the rooms downstairs. He knocked again, wondering why his dad didn't call to him to come in.

Danny turned the knob and went inside, his patience gone. It was hard to have patience when you are three.

Walking over to the bed, Danny stood on his tippy-toes to see his dad. He pulled back the blanket and it wasn't his dad.

"Hi, Mr. Kurt. Where's my daddy?" Daniel whispered. He was a little afraid at not finding his father, but he trusted Kurt with all of his little heart.

"Mr. Kurt-Angel? Wake up," Danny tried again, patting the man's cheek, and smiled when he saw those ocean blue eyes blink open.

"Oh, Daniel! Good morning, pal. How are you?" Kurt asked. He was never one to wake up groggy and in need of coffee to become fully awake. On the contrary, he was wide awake as soon as he opened his eyes. He sat up, holding out his hands to ask Danny to join him on the bed. Danny put his arms up and the man pulled him up on the bed.

"I'm fine, but where is my daddy?" he asked, then his eyes lit up as he saw his father, eyes closed and curly head resting on the pillow beside Kurt.

"Daddy!" he crowed, jumping over to snuggle under the covers with his dad.

"Danny Boy!" Blaine tried to shout back, waiting for his sleepy head to catch up to his body. He had problems with waking up, even with an alarm. If Danny whimpered in his sleep, Blaine could be there in record time. He had that parental alarm in his head when his boy needed him. Otherwise it was a long morning, waiting for the coffee to be ready and then it was well into the second cup before he felt really awake.

"I want to go to the beach for treasure!" Daniel said, expecting his parent to be just as enthusiastic as he was. They usually had contests to see who could find the shiniest rock, the prettiest shell, the best piece of sea glass, things like that.

"How about we fix your daddy some breakfast so when he comes down we can go out to the beach quicker?" Kurt suggested.

"Yes! I can help. Daddy has showed me how to make toast. I'm a good helper in the kitchen," Danny told his new friend.

"How lucky could I get?" Kurt grinned.

"Why don't you go down to the kitchen and get your apron from the hook in back of the pantry door, Danny? Mr. Kurt needs to get dressed and he'll be downstairs in a few minutes," Blaine suggested, sitting up.

"Okay, Daddy. You get dressed, too. We can eat breakfast together," Danny said, practically jumping up and down on the bed in his excitement. He slid off the bed and they could hear him bumping down the stairs.

"C'mere, my angel," Blaine said, reaching out his arms to hold Kurt close.

"Oh...that's where he got it," Kurt said, smiling to himself.

"Who? Got what?" Blaine asked.

"Danny. He called me 'Mr. Kurt-Angel' this morning. He heard you call me 'angel'."

Blaine laughed. "Well, you have always been _my_ angel, Kurt. You don't mind, do you?"

"No, Blaine. I think it's sweet and so very special that your son accepts me," Kurt said with warmth in his voice. A tear appeared and ran down his cheek, but Blaine wiped it away with a fingertip. He couldn't stop the warm feeling floating around in his belly when he thought of Danny having another father some day and he wanted that man to be Kurt. He hoped with all of his might that it would come to pass.

The two got up and took turns in the bathroom, cleaning up and getting ready. Touches were exchanged as they passed each other, then a kiss or two and hugs.

"Thank you, baby, for last night," Kurt whispered in Blaine's ear as they turned to go downstairs.

"What are you thanking me for?" he asked, confused.

"I was so impatient – I know I was too eager and you slowed things down, and gave us the best first night ever."

"But it wasn't our first time..." Blaine started to say and Kurt touched his lips with a fingertip to stop him.

"I know. It was our first time in a very long time and it could have ended with me ...um...with...well, let's just say that maybe it would have been painful if we had kept up my pace. You made it special, Blaine. It will be a night I'll remember for years to come I think," Kurt said, kissing Blaine's neck.

Blaine's arms made their way around Kurt's shoulders and he held the man for a moment before giving him a kiss and turning to go down to the kitchen. Kurt smiled and went after him.

"I got Daddy's apron for you to wear. Is that okay, Daddy?" Danny asked, his big eyes bright.

"Sure it is," Blaine agreed, taking the apron from Danny and placing it on Kurt, tying it behind him.

"Mr. Kurt! Can we make bacon? Daddy loves bacon and coffee. We make coffee first," he directed, pointing at the appliance on the far counter top.

"I'll make the coffee, buddy, so you can help Kurt," Blaine volunteered, his heart warm to see how much Danny wanted to be with Kurt.

"Mr. Kurt? Daddy and I like bacon and French toast with strawberries," the little boy grinned, going to the refrigerator to take out the carton of eggs. He turned and accidentally dropped the carton. At his yelp of surprise, the two men turned to see a mass of sticky broken eggs on the floor and Daniel in tears.

"Daddy!" the boy cried, trying to wipe up the mess with a dish towel he pulled off the rack by the sink.

"It's okay, honey. We can take care of this, don't cry," Blaine comforted his son. Together they mopped up the wet mess and Kurt opened the refrigerator to see what else there was to eat.

"Hey, buddy, there is another carton of eggs in here. It has six eggs left in it, that's enough to make French toast, right?" Kurt asked the small boy.

Danny smiled through his tears.

"Yes, we can do that," he said. His father gave him a small nudge and he turned his little face up to Kurt again. "Thank you, Mr. Kurt-Angel."

"You are very welcome, Daniel. Thank you for offering to help with cooking," he told the boy.

"We need to pick strawberries," Daniel crowed, his excitement bubbling over. He ran to a closet and opened the door to reveal pantry shelves. He reached in and took out three berry baskets. "Can we go now? I want to be the one to show Mr. Kurt the berry patches!"

"Sure we can" Blaine agreed, "but you need to get dressed before we go outside, partner."

"Okay, Daddy. I'll go get dressed."

Daniel ran up the stairs, throwing his pajamas off and getting the clothes he wore the day before. He got them mostly on, then folded his pajamas and shoved them under his pillow before grabbing his shoes and socks and making his way back to the kitchen.

He walked in to find his father in Kurt's arms, kissing.

Danny's huge intake of breath alerted the men of his presence and they moved back, both blushing a little.

"Daddy?" the small boy asked, looking curiously at them. "Why are you kissing Mr. Kurt-Angel?"

"Because I love him," Blaine said, not wanting to tell his son a lie or to cover up his relationship to the man he hoped would be with them for a long time. He picked Danny up and gave him a hug.

"Oh, okay. I love him, too, Daddy. He came and saved me out of the storm when I got losted," Danny explained, looking seriously into his father's eyes. He touched Blaine's cheek with his tiny hand to be sure his dad was understanding him.

"He did, son. Kurt is our friend and we love him, don't we?" Blaine said.

"If I love him, can I kiss him, too?" Danny asked, looking very shyly over at the man in question.

"I was kissing Kurt because I love him in a special way. Like Ginny's parents. You've seen Uncle Cooper kiss Auntie Quinn, haven't you? I kissed Kurt because we love each other and we used to live with each other. We might do that again. Would that be okay?" Blaine asked. Kurt felt his breath catch. He didn't know until that moment just how much he wanted Daniel to approve of him.

"Are you going to share your bedroom with him, Daddy? I don't think he'll fit in mine," Danny whispered in his dad's ear, trying to figure out the logistics in his head. The whisper was so loud that Kurt had no trouble hearing it.

Kurt laughed and Blaine tried to keep his features calm.

"Yes, son, he can share my bedroom. You can keep yours for just you for now," Blaine said, smiling at his son.

Blaine helped get Daniel's shoes on and they each picked up a berry basket, going out the back door. Daniel ran down the path toward the beach, turning at a branch in the path. He waited for his dad and Kurt to catch up before opening a gate in the white picket fence. He reached up a hand to his dad, pulling him along until they reached the enclosure of the berry patch.

Kurt's eyes opened wide as he looked around himself. There were raspberry, marionberry, and blackberry bushes in rows, strawberries planted in small gardens of concentric circles, a few gooseberry plants at the back of the garden. Through an arch he could see a lot of blueberries growing along the fence and one kind he didn't recognize.

"What are those berries that are the color of blueberries, but they're long and oval?" he asked.

Blaine nodded at Danny and the small boy walked over to one of the bushes.

"These?" he asked. Kurt nodded. "These are honeyberries. Haven't you ever had honeyberries?" he asked, incredulous.

"Nope. I've never even heard of them," Kurt admitted.

"Daddy, can we pick some for breakfast?" Daniel asked.

"Sure, son. Let's get a few of all the kinds and have them mixed together," Blaine suggested.

"Not the gooseberries – they aren't ripe, right, Daddy?" Danny asked.

"Right," Blaine smiled back.

They all picked different berries, filling the berry baskets about half full.

"That's enough I think," Blaine announced and they walked back towards the house. Kurt noticed the rose bushed lining the path to the beach.

"Can I pick some rosehips for tea?" he asked, grinning at the prospect of the delicious brew.

"Sure. I forget they're here sometimes. I haven't had a cup of rosehip tea since that summer we spent here with my grandparents," Blaine said with nostalgia.

"The roses were here then, but the berries? I don't remember those. Just the mulberry trees in front, and...weren't there grapes?" Kurt's forehead was wrinkled as he tried to recall that summer.

"The grapes are still here – they're over on the east side of the house in the arbor. I planted the berries about seven or eight years ago. Daniel and I made the strawberry tiered gardens last summer," Blaine explained.

"They're great. I'm so happy you got this house, baby. It brings out the best in you. I wonder why you stay in New York with all this at your disposal," Kurt said, then regretted his words.

"Sorry, that isn't my business," he said with a blush.

"No, baby, no apology needed. I do love it here, but I had to be in New York for the start of the play. I'm sort of tied to the city when a play starts," Blaine explained. "But we spend more time here than we do in New York."

"Oh, I should have thought of that," Kurt returned Blaine's smile.

"Daddy?" Daniel asked, trying not to interrupt the adult's conversation – but he had a question. He tugged at Blaine's shirt and Kurt gave him a smile and pointed to the front yard to indicate he was going that way. Blaine gave him a nod.

"Yes?" Blaine asked, looking at his son's face. Daniel appeared to be upset and a little angry.

"Why did you call Mr. Kurt-Angel 'baby"? He's not a baby. That was mean," the small boy admonished his dad, thinking of the mean kid in his preschool that called him a baby when he'd had a potty accident on his first day.

"Oh, no, Danny. I wasn't being mean. Sometimes grown-ups call each other things like that when they love that person," Blaine explained, stooping to open his arms to his son. Danny set down his berry basket and ran into his father's embrace.

"Aww, sweetie, you were so kind to try and defend Kurt, but really – we sometimes call each other pet names. Like I call you honey or pal," Blaine went on to try to get Daniel to understand.

"Like we call Mr. Kurt 'angel', right?" Danny asked in a whisper. He didn't want his daddy to get upset if he was wrong.

"Yes, just like that," the father told his son.

"But...but Mr. Kurt is an angel, Daddy. He's my grading angel. Auntie Quinn said so," the boy told his father, eyes wide and worried that his father didn't understand.

Blaine looked at him with confusion, then remembered his conversation with Quinn when he told her about Kurt finding Danny in the storm.

"Guardian Angel, Danny. Yes, I suppose he is..." Blaine said, wistfully. He smiled at his son, giving him a hug as he set the boy back down to retrieve his basket.

Kurt came back around the corner of the house, a bright smile on his face as he showed Danny the mulberries he'd collected from the trees in the front yard.

Back in the house, Blaine got out a sieve and placed all the berries inside, running a gentle stream of water over them. He glanced over to see the coffee was ready.

"Would you like a cup of coffee?" he asked Kurt.

"No, thank you. I'm going to make some rosehip tea if that's okay?" he asked.

"Of course. I'd like some with breakfast if possible?" he asked, moving over to put his arms around Kurt from behind. He hugged him close for a moment before kissing his neck and going back to get the teakettle to put on the stove.

"I can mix the eggs, Mr. Kurt-Angel," Danny said, moving his step-stool over to where Kurt was working on the counter.

"Okay, where would I find a whisk?" he asked and Danny pointed to a drawer.

They worked together, Danny being a good helper in spite of his young age. They got the perfect golden brown on the French toast and served it with the crispy bacon and a bowl of mixed berries. Blaine made the rosehip tea, adding a bit of honey to sweeten it.

"We are good cookers, aren't we, Daddy?" Danny asked, his smile of pride covering his face.

"You certainly are, son. You two can cook for me anytime," Blaine agreed.

"I think Danny's idea of adding the berries was the perfect addition to breakfast. Thank you, pal," Kurt said, patting Danny on his back.

"Thank you," the polite youngster said. "Now we get to clean up!"

"Well, I've never heard a kid so eager to do dishes," Kurt laughed.

"You were just like that, Kurt. I remember back in high school – you always volunteered us to do the wash-up at my parent's house," Blaine recalled.

"I was trying to impress your mother," Kurt admitted. Blaine laughed.

"It must have worked, she loved you," he chuckled.

They gathered the dishes and washed them, Danny and Blaine drying. Kurt wiped down the table and counters while Blaine and Danny swept the floor.

Danny went to change his shoes for sandals and find his trowel for digging up things on the beach.

Kurt came up in back of Blaine, his arms sliding around the man's hips, his chin resting on Blaine's shoulder. He kissed his neck, holding him tight.

"This is perfect, Blaine. So perfect. I love being here with you – and Daniel. He is the cutest kid..." Kurt whispered, then continued to nuzzle his lover's neck some more.

"I have always felt such peace here. I come when the frenzy of the city gets under my skin. I came here a lot when I got back to New York. I enjoyed the process of supervising the scripts for my plays, it's exhilarating, but then to be able to come here to unwind...well, there was nothing like it," Blaine told Kurt, pulling away to turn and hug Kurt once again.

Kurt hugged back, daring to kiss Blaine again, biting softly on his bottom lip and tasting the berries and rosehips as he ran his tongue softly against Blaine's. He took Blaine's hand and led him to the screened-in back porch, sitting on the low-slung daybed to wait for Danny to return.

"Come here..." Kurt encouraged, tugging Blaine closer to lean against him. "Why did you get the beach house? I would have thought you and Coop would share it?"

"My grandfather knew me pretty well. Cooper was always in the middle of a bunch of people – still is. He isn't one to be comfortable alone with just his thoughts. After Grandfather died, Grandmother asked us what we might want when he passed. I hated to think of that day and never said anything. Cooper is the one that suggested that I might like this house. When we were old enough to say what we wanted in terms of summer vacation, he wanted to go to tourist attractions or to see shows in New York.

"Don't get me wrong, I loved Broadway as much as he did – and we went often – but he knew how much the beach house meant to me. I think because he'd brought me here when..." Blaine stopped, afraid to bring up the break-up again.

"It's okay, babe, I know what you're talking about," Kurt interjected.

"Okay. After our break-up, he brought me here because he knew I would get better. He was right. I don't think he knew about us spending that summer here with Grandma and Grandpa, but that made me heal. Remembering the good times we had here, having all those memories made me feel like my life hadn't been wasted."

Kurt put a hand to Blaine's cheek, leaning in to place their lips softly together.

"I'm glad you had this place to go to," he murmured.

"Cooper got the New York apartment. It is worth more in money, but I would take this peace above that any day. I was spending the summer here when I made the decision to have Danny. I always knew I wanted to be a father, and it seemed as if my life was going too fast – I wanted to do it before I was too old. I had enough regrets in my life, I didn't need any more," Blaine admitted, looking up into Kurt's ocean-blue eyes.

"You did the right thing, baby. I'm so happy for you," he said with absolute certainty.

"Finding you again, Kurt, was the next thing I did right. I would have spent the rest of my life...regretting that day. Now I have the chance to try and make amends to you."

"Hey, I thought we weren't going to let that time ruin our future together, were we?" Kurt said in a scolding tone. He kissed Blaine again, this time with more passion. "I want us to be together, Blaine. I know we can make it if we give ourselves a chance."

"Yeah, we can do that..." Blaine admitted.

"Mr. Kurt-Angel? Daddy?" they heard from the kitchen.

Danny came barreling into the room, jumping into his father's lap with a grin on his face.

"Hey, buddy, you look eager to go somewhere," his dad kidded him.

"Treasure Hunting!" Daniel crowed, leaning over to take Kurt's hand and include him, too. "Did you ever go for a treasure hunt?"

"Yes, I did. With your daddy, as a matter of fact. We went beach combing on this very beach when we were kids," Kurt assured the small boy. Danny's eyes got big.

"You did?" he asked.

"Yes, we did, son. Here, let me find..." Blaine started to say, getting up from the daybed and opening cupboards under the window.

"Ah, here...Kurt and I found these the summer we spent here with my grandparents," Blaine said, his eyes full of nostalgia. He sat down between the two and opened the wooden box, its lock catching a bit with the rust.

"Oh!" Daniel gasped, looking at all the beautiful shades of sea glass in small jars. He looked at his father for permission before lifting a jar from the box and studying the contents.

"Purple. I only ever found one purple one. It's over here..." Danny said, getting down to go over to the window sill to get his piece of pale violet sea glass. He showed it to Kurt.

"Wow, kid, that's better than any we found. Beautiful," he said, holding it up to the light to see the true color of the glass.

"I have a piece of a bean pot, too!" Daniel bragged, getting that off of the sill, too.

"Oh, cool. I never saw one of those before," Kurt told the boy, handing his two treasures back.

"We can look at these later, let's get ready to go while the tide is out," Blaine suggested, setting the jar back in the box.

"Blaine – I had no idea you still had all of those. I remember the hours we spent finding them and picking out our favorites," Kurt said with wonder. He looked away for a moment before confessing to Blaine. "I still have five bowls of them in my studio. I keep them in there and look through them when I'm feeling kind of...depressed. It makes me think of all the wonderful times we shared together."

Blaine came over to hug his friend. "That was a magical summer, wasn't it?" he whispered, kissing Kurt's neck quickly before turning to see where Danny was.

"Let's go!" shouted Daniel, taking his dad's hand and going out the back door.


	10. Chapter 10 - Treasure Hunt

**The Beach House – Chapter Ten – Treasure Hunt**

"I got my sandals on!" Danny said excitedly.

"Hey, honey, you have them on the wrong feet. How about you trade them?" Blaine suggested, stifling a laugh.

"No! I like my feet the way they are. Can't I just trade the sandals instead?" Danny laughed, knowing his dad understood that he was teasing.

"Aw, and I was going to go get my saw," Blaine pouted. He pulled Danny onto his lap and traded sandals to the correct feet and set him down.

"Can we go yet?" Danny asked, pleading with his big hazel eyes. Kurt got a sudden jolt as he saw Blaine in Danny's eyes. The resemblance was uncanny.

"Yeah. Do you have the bags?" Blaine asked.

"Yes. One for each of us," he said, passing a net bag to Kurt and one to his father.

"Then I guess we're ready!"

They walked down the salt-rose path to the wooden stairs that led to the beach as Blaine consulted the tide table in his pocket. They had about two hours until the tide came back in, enough time to find plenty of treasure.

"Be careful on the steps, Mr. Kurt-Angel, they can be slippy," the young boy warned Kurt.

"I will, Daniel. Thank you," Kurt said, smiling at the energy of the small boy. He took Danny's hand and walked slowly down the stairs to the beach. He looked out over the ocean, seeing some big fluffy clouds far out to sea.

They walked together for a bit, then separated – Danny going with his dad and Kurt on his own. Kurt looked up to see the two Andersons, heads down, scouring the beach for treasure. Looking down, he glimpsed a bit of something shiny and leaned down to check it out. A beautiful, opaque white piece of sea glass was buried half-way in the sand. He reached down to touch it, feeling the curved edge beaten smooth by the ocean and remembering the days he and Blaine had done this very same activity.

"I found one!" he called down the beach and Danny clapped his hands.

They continued on, Blaine keeping an eye on the shoreline as the tide continued to go out. One or another of them calling out when they found something. There were a lot of seabirds: gulls, terns, and cormorants flying over and some type of curlews or sandpipers walking on the sandy beach, their beaks busy picking through the sand for a meal. At the far edge of the cove it looked like a few harbor seals were sunning themselves on the rocks.

Looking back to the beach, Kurt saw a few shells – one a tiny white spiral that was not broken. He picked it up, thinking Danny might like it as much as he did. There were some larger clam shells, but he left them when he saw there were still some grisly bits of the former inhabitant clinging to the inside of the shell. There was a limit to what Kurt would touch with his bare hands.

Kurt looked up as he heard a squeal and saw Daniel with his father about twenty-five yards down the beach. He hurried over, although he could see there was no emergency. On the way, he spotted a pretty rock – probably a piece of jasper considering its dark purplish shade. He picked it up, depositing it in his net bag as he continued over to Blaine and Danny.

"Look! Mr. Kurt-Angel, I found dinner!" the boy said, grinning. He held up a small jar with a tiny crab inside, swimming in the bit of water.

"Wow," Kurt whistled at the little crustacean, who was about the size of Danny's thumbnail, trying not to laugh.

"Daddy says it will grow big and we can have it for dinner in about five years!" Danny told him excitedly. "Can we get a fishtank like Mr. Kurt's?" he asked his father.

"Ah...no, this crab lives in the ocean, honey, and won't be happy in a small tank of water. The fishes in Kurt's fishtank are happy there because they've never seen an ocean, they think of it as home. This crab needs to go back to its family in the ocean. I just let you catch it in the jar so you could look at it," Blaine patiently explained.

"Oh," Danny said with a note of sadness. "I understand. Goodbye, Mr. Crab. Get big and I'll see you in five years."

Danny took the tiny crab over to a stream of water that led to a little channel running into the ocean and let it go, waving as the crab swam away. Kurt went over and hugged the boy.

"I'm so proud of you, putting the crab's wishes ahead of your own. You are as kind as your dad, and that is the best thing you could be," he told the boy. Danny hugged him back, a smile showing on his sad little face.

"I want to be like Daddy," he whispered, then walked back to pick up his net bag and continue to look for treasure.

"What do we need to remember any time we're on the beach?" Blaine asked his son.

"Never turn your back on the ocean," Daniel replied in a sing-song voice, knowing this by heart from his dad telling him every single time they walked on the beach.

"The tide has turned, so we need to keep an even closer eye on it. We don't want to get caught in a wave, do we?" he asked.

"No, dad," Danny said seriously.

"Oh! Look what I found!" Kurt shouted, digging with a stick to dislodge something in the sand.

"What?" Danny asked, running over, his father a step behind.

They watched as Kurt uncovered a piece of wood with something metal attached. It was about the size of Kurt's hand and very dirty.

"Let's take it back and clean it up, then we can see what it is," Blaine suggested.

"I think we need to get back anyway," Kurt observed as the tide washed closer up the beach. They both held Danny's hands and walked up the beach, each carrying their net bags. They made their way up the stairs and down the long path through the roses and back to the house.

"We can wash up here by the house with the hose, then take off our shoes and things before going inside. We don't want to track sand in the house," Blaine said.

Danny went to get the hose and turned it on, splashing his father's feet.

"Hey, that's cold!" Blaine squealed.

"Yeah..." Danny giggled. He began setting his treasures on the wooden landing. He took a small bucket, filled it with water and rinsed all of them off. Kurt and Blaine joined him to do the same. They all had treasures, but Danny held one back in his pocket, waiting for the perfect time to share it.

"All done?" Blaine asked and they filed inside to get some lunch and look over the treasures they found.

Kurt heated up some tomato soup and Blaine made grilled cheese sandwiches. Danny helped set the table and folded napkins. The ancient plank table was full of cheerful comments as they talked about the treasure hunt all through lunch. After the washing up, newspapers were spread on the table and each piece of treasure was gone over, praised, and talked about.

There was a lot of excitement over Kurt's treasure as Blaine explained to his son how a compass works and why they were found on ships.

"This used to have a compass in it – and it probably came from a small boat," Kurt said, polishing the brass that used to hold the cpmpass.

They had all found shells and pieces of sea glass. Kurt showed them his piece of jasper and Danny said he loved the dark purple color.

"You can have it, Danny," Kurt smiled, warmed by the joy in the boy's face.

"I have something for you, too," Daniel said, looking serious. He reached into his pocket to get out a rock. It was a white rock with a pinkish cast to it, shaped almost like a heart.

"Daddy told me you find heart-rocks sometimes, Mr. Kurt-Angel, and he said they were from your mommy in heaven," Danny said, holding the heart-rock out to his guardian angel.

"Oh, Danny..." Kurt was speechless. He'd forgotten about finding the heart-rocks that summer here with Blaine. That was a time when he had been feeling the loss of his mother like a sharp thorn in his side and Blaine was trying to find a way to ease the pain. Blaine had found a pale gray rock, shaped like a heart and when he gave it to Kurt, he told the grieving boy that it must have been sent by his mother – she was telling him she still loved him.

Kurt curled his arms around himself, still feeling the warmth of Blaine's love for him.

"Danny, when did I tell you that?" Blaine asked, not remembering the event. He reached a hand over to take Kurt's and got a smile from the man.

"When we came here before I went to preschool, Daddy. You found one and told me you had spent a summer here with your best friend and you found heart-rocks from his mommy. Remember?" Danny asked, looking at his father with curious eyes.

"I do," Blaine said, squeezing Kurt's hand and feeling good when he squeezed back.

"And Mr. Kurt-Angel is your best friend, right?" Danny asked.

"Yes, he is. You are the smartest kid around, you know?" Blaine said with tears threatening. He blinked a few times, letting go of Kurt's hand and standing up to pick his son up and hug him. "I love you, pal."

Kurt joined in to make it a group hug and they took Danny up to his room for a nap.

Kurt brushed the dirt from the table where it had sifted through the newspapers, then placed all of the treasure in a wooden box to set on the back porch. All but the pinkish heart-rock, which he washed at the sink, dried and put in his pocket.

"Thank you, Mama," he whispered.

Kurt went into the front room to sit on the sailcloth-covered sofa and wait for Blaine. He gazed at the pale blue walls, at the pictures of sailboats and lobster traps and other things he remembered from the summer he'd spent here. There were books about Maine sitting on the bookshelf and he took one at random, leafing through the pages and stopping to look at a picture now and again. His mind wasn't really on the book, however. It was on why he'd come here with Blaine in the first place.

"Hey, there you are," Blaine said, coming in to sit next to Kurt and put his arms around him. "Hey..." he said again, but left it like that as he looked into Kurt's eyes.

"Hey yourself, Blaine," Kurt laughed. "What's wrong? You look...almost sad, baby?"

"I'm not exactly sad...I just feel like I owe you an apology, Blaine said with his head down.

"For what?"

"I don't want you to think that I talk to Danny about you behind your back. I didn't mean to, anyway. Yes, I did tell him about my friend who was grieving and about the heart-rocks, but I didn't expect him to ever meet you. It wasn't...I wasn't gossiping," Blaine tried to explain.

"I know. Don't worry about it. Daniel's kindness just showed me how much like his father he is. You told me about the heart-rocks that summer to make me feel better. It was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, baby. I love you for it, and if you chose to share that with your son, I don't mind. So, come here and kiss me and forget your worry – okay?"

Blaine came over to kiss Kurt, leaning his whole body into Kurt as he pressed him down on the sofa and rolled on top of him.

"I love you, Kurt," he whispered into the skin of his neck as he hid his nose there. Kurt smiled and held him tightly, running his hand up and down Blaine's spine, under his shirt.

"I love you, too."

They fell asleep for a short while, Blaine rolling to the side so they could both be comfortable. Upon waking about fifteen minutes later, Blaine turned to Kurt, gave him a kiss, and continued talking to him.

"Danny usually sleeps until three. He had a really busy morning, so I don't think he's going to wake up before then," Blaine said, glancing at the clock on the wall that said 1:45. "That gives us a bit of time to ourselves."

"I like time alone with you, Blaine," Kurt cooed, reaching out to take Blaine's hand and kissing the inside of his wrist. Blaine smiled.

"You used to do that in the choir room, junior year when we were both at Dalton," Blaine remembered. "I thought it was the most sensual thing I'd ever felt," he laughed a bit.

"Back then it probably was," Kurt said, the smile on his face getting bigger as he kissed Blaine's wrist again.

"I was thinking that we need to talk a bit today," Blaine started, reluctant to bring up the subject, but knowing it had to be breached this week. They really couldn't go on without clearing the air.

"What were you thinking?"

"About Daniel. I am very protective of him. You can imagine how much more since he got lost in the storm. I don't want you to think I am favoring him over you, Kurt. I love you both, but it is a different kind of love. Yes, I've been in love with you since we were fifteen – and I never once stopped loving you, even though I made a rash decision that night when I ran away. I loved you even then, but as I've told you – I thought it would break both of our hearts if we kept on," Blaine sat forward, his head in his hands as he tried to contain himself and finish what he'd started.

"That said, you know how much I regret my decision, how much I hated myself over the next years when I couldn't find you. I have had two instances in my life where I can say I was the happiest ever. One: the day Daniel was born. Two: the day I found you again. I love you, Kurt. You are the man I want to spend my life with, now more than ever," he said, lifting his head to see Kurt's face.

"Okay, but what's the problem?" Kurt asked, dread creeping into his thoughts.

"I have obligations, Kurt. I made the decision to have a baby, a child, on my own. I was fully prepared to give up my life to dedicate it to my child, and I've done that. I cannot ask you to be with me forever knowing I have this obligation. Don't misunderstand, I love Daniel with all my heart, and I wouldn't trade him for anything – but I also cannot expect you to take on that responsibility. It wouldn't be fair. So, we can have these two weeks here at the Beach House, but I don't think I can stand seeing you without being able to have you as my own."

Kurt sat, mouth open and blood boiling.

"What the holy fuck, Blaine? Do you...what the hell?...have you even considered...you honestly think I'd _abandon_ you because of _Daniel?_ \- oh, fuck it!" he shouted, getting up from the sofa and going outside to try and gather his sensibilities together. Had Blaine just said he didn't trust Kurt to stay with him because of Danny? Kurt walked up and down the grape arbor, shielded from the house behind the leaves. He grabbed a bunch of grapes and threw them against the stone bench, enjoying the squelching sound they made and so he did it again. He ran to the bench, smearing the sticky mess into the stone and then wiping the dark concord juice on his silk shirt. He didn't even care.

Next, he heard Blaine calling him – softly as to avoid waking his son – and Kurt pretended he couldn't hear. He was so upset he didn't know what to do. How dare Blaine assume Kurt would want to tear Daniel from his own father to take his place! What kind of monster did Blaine think he was? What kind of self-centered asshole? Kurt decided to leave and find some peace somewhere to think this out before he did something else crazy.

He started to round the house to go down to the beach, but he remembered the tide was in and the beach would be under water. He sighed, that would have been the best place. He knew it was only a matter of time before Blaine came to look for him in the grape arbor, so he looked to make sure he was not observed and went across the street, behind the hedge of lilacs and walked towards the neighboring farm's pasture. He would rather talk to the cows than face Blaine right now.

* * *

Back at the beach house, Blaine was frantic. He only wanted to let Kurt understand that he had a son, a son for which he was the _sole responsible person_. He had chosen to have a baby while he wasn't married because after dating a lot of men (meaning less than a dozen, actually) he had not seen in them the thing he needed in life. Only Kurt could give him that, and he accepted that he was just not going to have a husband. Well, a lot of people ended up like that. He was an Anderson and so would do it with grace and poise.

Then he had Daniel. It was completely different than how he had imagined it. Danny was a joy from the first day and even though he had his moments of frustration and anger, fear and guilt, he wouldn't have traded one minute of being Danny's father for anything in this world. Then he found Kurt again - and for a moment he really believed that he could have both. He had been trying to explain this to Kurt when he said all the wrong things and Kurt took off. Well, it was what he deserved. Hadn't he done that to Kurt, and in a very much worse way?

He walked back into the house, sat at the kitchen table and put his head in his arms and wept.

* * *

Kurt was down the road, having stopped long enough to talk to the cows in the field – a herd of Jersey cows with big, soft brown eyes that reminded him just a little too much of a certain curly-haired man. He walked on, past the honeysuckle bushes and on to the next pasture of goats with their strange eyes accusing him. Of what, he didn't know, but they made him feel guilty.

Kurt walked on, going back across the road and over to the trail that ran on the ridge above high tide. He could see the ocean from here, harbor seals swimming close to the rocky shore, the salt roses that grew wild everywhere on the shore from New Hampshire to Canada with their big, juicy rose hips looking like tiny apples. He remembered where this path led – to West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. It was the only American lighthouse that was painted with red and white stripes and was a sight for sore eyes to glimpse it from around the corner of the path. He headed for it, stumbling along the wet path, slipping and catching himself several times as he got too close to the water.

His shirt was already stained with grape juice, and the mud just made him filthy. He walked close to the north side of the lighthouse, trying not to remember the times he'd stood in this very spot and kissed Blaine – knowing his grandparents couldn't see them from the house.

The lights in the tourist shop were on, so he went over to the door, trying to decide if he wanted to go in. A woman walked to the door, seeing him hesitating.

"You look a bit lost," she said. He could see there were no visitors to the gift shop or the lighthouse tour today. The parking lot was empty.

"Maybe a bit. The path was a pretty wet and more slippery than I recalled," he said, blushing at the state of his clothing.

"I see. Well, you look like a starved cat. Come inside and get warmed up at least," she said and turned to walk back inside. The woman was gray-haired, the wisps pulled back on her head and coiled into a bun. She wore a floral-patterned dress with an apron and a pin with the logo of the lighthouse and designating it a National Landmark. She wrung her old, wrinkled hands before motioning for him to enter.

"I'm Judy Towse McPhee," she said, guiding him back to her private quarters and into her kitchen. It smelled delicious.

"Kurt Hummel, glad to meet you," he said automatically, then pulled his hand back, noticing how dirty it was. Judy nodded at the sink and got him a hand towel to dry his hands after scrubbing them.

"Sit, I'll get you a bowl of chowder," she offered, "and yes, I do understand how cliché that is." She winked and gave him a warm smile.

"Thank you," Kurt said as he sat at her table, delighting in the scent of the bowl of clam chowder sitting in front of him, steaming. It was Manhattan clam chowder, full of a tomato broth as opposed to New England clam chowder which was made with cream and milk. He took a bite and it warmed him to the core. As he sat, the woman dropped her knit shawl around his shoulders.

"Where are you from?" she asked. Judy wasn't a talker, no idle gossip anyway. She was quiet, just saying the things she felt needed to be said.

"Ohio originally, but I've been a New Yorker for a long time now," he said, taking another big spoonful. It was wonderful, the taste of the sea combined with the tangy tomatoes and rich bacon flavor. "How did you come to make this clam chowder instead of the usual creamy variety? Are you a transplant from New York?" he tried to kid her. Judy blushed.

"My late husband was allergic to dairy. I learned to make it this way from a neighbor lady down the way," she said. "She is gone to her maker now. I miss her from time to time."

"That wouldn't be Flora Anderson, would it?" he asked.

"Why, yes. You knew Flora?"

"I came here one summer to visit...over ten years ago. I was in high school and spent the summer with her and her husband."

"Oh, you came with Blaine. I remember you – the two of you would stand on the side of the lighthouse at dusk and kiss. You must have thought Flora wouldn't know," the woman gave a giggle like a little girl.

Kurt sat, wide-eyed with embarrassment as if it had happened yesterday.

"Now, now, young man. That was a long time ago and you were young and foolish. Now it appears you are...?" Kurt laughed.

"Not much has changed. I'm still foolish it turns out. I lost my temper and now I don't know how to go back. He hurt my feelings and I find to my shame that I am having trouble trusting him. Oh...you don't want to hear my story of woe. I'll get going..." Kurt said, embarrassed he had bothered this woman.

"No, stay and eat your soup. I haven't had a soul to talk to in three days. It's lonely this early in the season. The tourists will come soon enough, but it seems later each year. Less people want to live in a tiny backwater like Lubec. We don't have the shipbuilding industry anymore, and the lobster and fishing has almost gone away. Young people don't want to live away from civilization – all of our young people are moving to big cities," she lamented.

He wasn't quite sure what to say for a moment.

"Blaine lives here," he said.

"Oh? I hadn't seen any lights over to the Anderson's for a while now."

"He lives in New York part time and comes home here to write. He's a playwright," Kurt told her.

"Ah, that seems like a good fit for him. He always had his head in the clouds, that one. He inherited the house from Flora and Zebulon, then?" she asked.

"Yes. Cooper got the apartment in New York, but Blaine was happier with this house," Kurt told her. He was careful not to say too much, Blaine might not like him telling his whole life story.

"Good. I'm happy to hear Blaine is staying. We need some young people here to carry on," she said, her face a bit sad. Maybe it was nostalgia, Kurt thought. She was probably lonely here without her husband. He did remember her from that summer long ago – coming to visit with Mrs. Anderson and once they all came to a big lobster boil at the Anderson house. More and more bits of that summer were returning to his memory the longer he stayed.

"And would you be coming to live here, also?" Judy dared to ask.

"Ummm...well, I don't know. If you asked me yesterday, then yes. But things might have shifted. He was telling me something about his son, and I took part of it as an insult to my integrity. Instead of staying to make it clear, I let my temper get away from me and I left," Kurt said, his face getting red as he recalled the anger.

"And took a tour through Flora's concord grape arbor on your way, it seems," Judy said, her mouth twitching to turn into a smile. She kept her face straight for now, but Kurt could see that she found his flight humorous.

"Yes. You should see the bench..." he admitted, his face even redder with shame. He'd acted like a child throwing a tantrum. Kurt went on to tell Judy about why they had come here, the test to see if they could be together once again. He found himself crying, practically despondent as he lived through the break-up and then the joy of finding Blaine once again, the hope he had that they could be together...he finished, laying his tired head down on the table. Judy put a warm hand on his shoulder.

"I think you need to go back to Blaine. I know him, he'll be there for you. If it's meant to be, you'll know."

"Thank you for listening, it made me get things right in my head. I do need to go back. He might be worried about me by now."

"Eat your soup, Kurt Hummel. I have some things to do and I'll be right back," she said, getting up to walk into the gift shop, her legs bowed with arthritis but it didn't keep her from doing what she knew was her job. He could hear her sweeping the front step, then heard the crack of thunder as the rain started in earnest. He'd be walking home in the rain and the dark. It would be treacherous if not downright dangerous on the sea path.

Kurt finished the soup and the delicious hot biscuits, slathered in fresh butter that she had left on a plate for him. He had no idea he was so hungry. He thought for a moment about helping himself to another bowl, but then didn't. He had no idea of Judy's circumstances. For all he knew, he might have eaten her whole supper. He got up to see and was relieved to find the kettle more than half full of the chowder. He replaced the lid and sat back down.

"Here, this is your size I think," Judy said, returning to the kitchen and handing him a brand new tourist T-shirt. It had a drawing of West Quoddy Head Lighthouse on the front and the back said

44° 48.9 N

66° 57.1 W

He laughed and thanked her. Judy went back to the gift shop to give Kurt some privacy to change his shirt.

"I'm afraid I can't loan you anything to replace your wet jeans, but I do have an old macintosh that will keep you warm in the storm," she offered.

"Thank you, Mrs. McPhee," Kurt started to say.

"No, you call me Judy, we're friends now, aren't we?" she asked. Kurt smiled.

"Yes, we're friends. Thank you for your hospitality, Judy, you turned my day around and I appreciate it. I'll be back to visit again before we leave, I promise," Kurt said, holding her old and wrinkled hand – bringing it to his lips and kissing it.

"Good luck, Kurt. I will pray for you, and for Blaine and his son, too," she called as he left to walk down the road instead of the sea path. He was perhaps 20 yards down the road when a black SUV stopped beside him and the window rolled down.

"Sir, we're looking for my friend..." the driver started to say, then he saw Kurt's face under the hood of the yellow macintosh and a look of relief came over Blaine's face. "Oh, thank the stars...Kurt, will you get in and come back with me? We need to talk and I...I need to apologize. Will you hear me out?"

"Of course. I owe you an apology, too," Kurt said, opening the door and climbing in.

Back at the house, Kurt got out of the Navigator and waited for Blaine to get Daniel out, too. The little boy was very quiet and subdued and Kurt realized he had hurt him somehow. He could see how scared Blaine had been and his mood had spread to his son. The boy was very intuitive – Kurt had noticed this several times – and so the trouble had affected him, too.

"Danny, I met a nice lady and she would like me to bring you over to meet her, too," Kurt said in hopes of getting a smile from the boy. Danny looked at his father.

"Not unless I can bring my daddy," he said, his face maintaining the sober look.

"Of course your dad is welcome – but he already knows this woman," Kurt said and Blaine turned to study Kurt's face, taking in the macintosh and then the tourist shirt as Kurt hung up the wet coat.

"Judy Towse-McPhee?" he asked, the glimmer of a smile on his face. "I should have known you'd go there. Please tell me you didn't go along the sea path at high tide? It's 'slippery as snot on a glass doorknob' then," Blaine said. Danny and Kurt both looked at him, the phrase sounded so funny coming from his mouth. They looked at each other and burst into laughter. Blaine tried to keep a straight face. He knew using his grandmother's old saying would bring forth giggles.

"Oh, yes it was that slippery," Kurt admitted. "I was very careful and Judy told me not to go home that way, which is why you found me on the road," Kurt said. He glanced at Blaine, hoping to find he was not angry. It was hard to tell, he had worry lines that had not faded with the laughter, and his eyes looked bloodshot and red. Kurt put a hand out and took his wrist, giving him one small kiss to his skin there before letting go.

"We'll talk later," he whispered to Kurt before picking Danny up and going upstairs. It was much later than Kurt had guessed. He looked at the clock on the hall wall, the one with the embroidered face and wooden frame that Blaine's grandparents had made together when Blaine's father was just a baby.

Kurt went to the bedroom and changed out of his clothes, took a quick shower but couldn't scrub the grape stains off of his legs. He gave up and put on flannel pajamas, slippers and a robe before going to Danny's door. He could hear Blaine talking to his son.

"Oh, Danny, honey, quit worrying. Kurt was upset and he went for a walk. He's a grown-up, so he didn't need to ask us first. He's back now and he's fine, so let's just go to sleep and we can talk in the morning, honey." Blaine sounded like he was at his wit's end. Kurt decided to do what he could to fix the damage.

"Hey, Daniel, can I come in?" he asked, but looked to Blaine to see if it was okay. He was ready to leave if Blaine showed any inkling that he was still angry.


	11. Chapter 11 - Reinventing the Wheel

**The Beach House - Chapter Eleven – Reinventing the Wheel**

"Come in, Mr. Kurt-Angel," Danny said, his eyes red and puffy. Kurt felt terrible.

"Thank you," Kurt said, standing just inside the room. He didn't want to get in Blaine's way.

"Come sit on the bed with Daddy," Daniel coaxed. Kurt walked over, sitting on the very edge, trying not to touch Blaine.

"Can you tell me a story?" Daniel asked.

"I think it's Daddy's turn, isn't it?" Kurt deferred.

"I can tell you a story, Daniel. It's about a lovely princess with long hair that was in love with a handsome prince, and she was locked in a very tall tower..." Blaine started. Daniel was into the story immediately and gave his father his rapt attention. Blaine told the story of Rapunzel with humor and excitement, but the small boy was sound asleep before it was done. The two men left the room, giving each other glances and walking to their bedroom.

"Kurt, can you go lock up the house? You can make yourself some supper if you're hungry," Blaine said, no inflection in his voice. "I'm tired but I want to take a shower before I get into bed."

"Sure, I'll be sure everything is secure. Take your time," Kurt started to say.

He saw tears brimming in Blaine's eyes and moved to touch him, but Blaine crossed his arms in front of his chest and took a step back.

"Okay, I'll go check the house," Kurt said and left the room, his face sad but resigned.

Blaine took off his clothes, placing them in the hamper and stepping into the shower. He let the water run until it was hot, then turned the sprayer on and stood up. He reached for the shampoo, but found only Kurt's bottle and he didn't want to get out to rummage through his luggage for his own. With a sigh, he squeezed some of the herbal scented soap into his hand and rubbed it through the curls. He took his time, dreading the talk he was going to have with Kurt. After the shameful way he spoke to him earlier, he was convinced that nothing was going to go well again. Well, he was alone when he made the decision to have Danny and he could do it, be the best father the boy could ever want. He closed his eyes and started to rinse out the shampoo.

A warm hand reached up to help and Blaine could feel Kurt's body in back of him. Kurt shifted his weight forward to touch Blaine from neck to thighs, his arm coming around Blaine's waist to pull him close. Kurt helped rinse the shampoo out, then turned Blaine around and leaned down a bit to kiss him. It started with a soft touching of lips, but became much more. Kurt was kissing Blaine with all the passion that was in him, holding him too close and overpowering all of Blaine's doubts.

"Blaine, there's something I don't understand - I don't know why you are still questioning my motives. Is it that you don't think I deserve to have a son I didn't help to conceive? Do you think I will be _bad_ for him? Blaine, please, _please_ , just give me a chance to prove it. I think I love him already – he is so like you, how could I not love him?" Kurt asked, desperate. He wanted this to work so badly he would do anything to make it so. Blaine looked up, seeing the want and need in Kurt's eyes. He also saw the desperation.

"Have I messed it up too much already?" Kurt questioned himself, "I didn't think when I left that it would upset Daniel. I need help in learning to be a parent...I had the best mentor in the world growing up, so if I try to think of what my dad would do in these circumstances, I can improve. I'll take parenting classes, just give me a chance, _please_ , Blaine..." Kurt cried.

"No, Kurt...you don't understand," Blaine started to say and Kurt interrupted him.

"Then tell me – I'll do anything," Kurt begged, falling to his knees. He felt as if all hope was gone now, that Blaine was indeed kicking him to the curb and he cursed the day he didn't just hand the child over to the police before he found out he was Blaine's son.

Blaine went down on his knees, too, placing his arms around Kurt.

"Listen, okay? Just be quiet and listen to me," Blaine said with determination. Kurt nodded, his face buried in his hands.

"I am not questioning your ability to be a good parent. I'm _not_. I was questioning my ability to be a good husband. I have to put Daniel first, I was thinking, that he was my sole responsibility. Kurt, I've been worried that you will feel like I'm leaving you out. Like you will believe I love him more. I wasn't _thinking_ is the point. If we get married, you'll be his father, too. We can work together on it, lean on each other when we need it..." Blaine spoke quickly, afraid Kurt would stop listening – he _had_ to try to convince Kurt to stay.

Kurt stopped, raising his head in spite of the water still raining down from the shower head.

"And me running away was what made you come up with all of that?" Kurt asked, incredulous.

"Ah...no. I made a phone call," Blaine confessed.

"To 1-800-Save a Relationship?" Kurt tried to joke, but he was not confident and the joke fell flat.

"Better than that...I called the best father I knew for the answers," Blaine said, not looking at Kurt in the eyes anymore. He cringed, anticipating what Kurt might say.

"You didn't...I haven't even told him we found each other yet! You called Burt Hummel, didn't you? You called my _dad_?"

Blaine nodded.

"He gave me some really sage advice. Kurt, he was right. I was so scared and wrapped up in my own worries that I lost sight of my goal. He told me to sit still and make myself let go of all the worries I was making up in my head, things that might not come to pass. He said to stop borrowing trouble. I took his advice and had a little discussion with myself," Blaine said, hanging his head.

"Aw, baby...tell me what I can do and together we can make this work. I promise to give it everything, Blaine, I love you and you are worth everything to me," Kurt said, trying to stop the tears.

"I...I want you, Kurt, and I want to live the rest of my life with you – please, my angel. We can be a family if you let us..."

"Yes, yes...Blaine, you are all I've ever wanted."

They sat under the water, just holding on to each other until it got cold, then they dried off and climbed into their bed.

No words were needed as Blaine kissed Kurt, the soft and gentle coming together of two men so deeply in love and finally on the same page.

"I want to worship your body, Kurt," Blaine whispered, his words a breath of warm air in Kurt's ear, sending shivers down his spine. He began at Kurt's ear, blowing warm air into it as he bit down lightly on his earlobe. Kurt whined, not wanting to waste time with this gentle foreplay – so he pushed Blaine off of his chest and sat up, shifting around in the bed to lay on top of Blaine.

"Oh..." Kurt froze suddenly, stiffening as a thought crossed his mind. "Blaine...we didn't use a condom last time..."

"I...I'm sorry. I didn't even think about it, angel. I haven't been with anyone in years. I've dated..." Blaine blurted, then regretted saying it. Well, he wouldn't lie to Kurt about it, he just wasn't prepared to have this conversation right now.

"You -dated?" Kurt asked, his voice squeaking. He hadn't even thought...but Blaine was not tied down, he wasn't engaged or anything. There was nothing wrong in Blaine having other men, of course he had dated other men.

"Yes..." Blaine admitted, pulling back to look into Kurt's eyes so his lover could see Blaine's sincerity.

"After I moved back to New York and I'd given up looking for you, I wanted to be a dad and I was dating a few men to see if I could find the right one. But I never ...ah...there was no... Kurt, the truth is that none of them were _you_. I never even got to the sex part, Kurt. The last man I had sex with was you," Blaine said very softly, cupping Kurt's jaw in his hand as he leaned close to kiss him again.

Kurt sighed, surprised at the relief he felt.

"The same with me, Blaine. There has never been anyone but you for me, baby," Kurt whispered back. He dipped his head down, suddenly afraid to look at Blaine.

"Don't hide from me, angel. Let me see those big blue eyes."

Kurt laughed and looked up. He locked eyes with Blaine for a moment, seeing the love reflected in that smokey-amber gaze. He closed his eyes and kissed Blaine again, deep and long before his hands wandered down the tan skin to stroke Blaine's hips.

"Blaine...I want you. Can we...?" Kurt asked, his voice betraying his desperation.

"I want to, angel, but I don't want you to think you need to prove anything to me. Okay? I love you no matter what."

"I know...I love you, too," Kurt whispered, pulling Blaine closer. Their lips met in a soft kiss and both sighed.

"Blaine, you were born to fit in my mouth – come here to me," Kurt whispered, then kissed down Blaine's body, nipping at his skin, rubbing his muscles as he shifted positions and reached his goal. He took the hard shaft in his hand and licked across the head, running his tongue around the ridge before taking Blaine into his mouth. Blaine moaned, not having felt this sensation in way too long. He tried not to buck his hips, but they had a mind of their own and Kurt pulled back, coughing, before he tried again.

It had been a long time, but like riding a bicycle it was only moments before Kurt's muscle memory was guiding him and he didn't have to think of each separate movement. He let himself go, sucking hard then easing up to run his tongue up the vein on the underside just to hear a symphony of moans from Blaine.

"Kurt...oh, my love, my angel..." Blaine chanted, his entire mind on just letting this happen. He wanted to let everything fall into place now, without the anxiety and worry. Burt hadn't mentioned sex, but his words fit this, too.

Kurt was at Blaine's side, leaning over him to suck lightly while he reached for the little bottle beside the bed. He set it next to him on the mattress and tugged Blaine's foot over so his knee was bent and his thigh canted out to the side. Kurt squeezed lube onto his fingers and introduced them to Blaine's exposed entrance, making the man keen in a shrill voice. He'd been concentrating so hard on where Kurt's mouth was, he didn't realize what else he was doing.

"Kurt...yes, yes..." he whispered, cupping Kurt's jaw with his hand for a moment so Kurt looked up at him. "I love you, angel..."

Kurt hummed his agreement and ran his finger gently around the rim before slowly pressing into his lover. Blaine's knees fell apart, giving him more access and Kurt pressed in further. With sensations coming from two sources now, Blaine closed his eyes and tried to maintain his determination to make this last. It was when Kurt's other hand reached over to pinch a nipple that Blaine really fell apart. He was moaning and whining, with no real coherent thoughts – just allowing the feelings to surround him.

Kurt pulled back for a moment, resting his jaw by kissing Blaine's tight abs. He touched the inside of Blaine's thigh, stroking softly as he added a second finger and began scissoring to stretch his lover.

It didn't take long, just a few more minutes before Blaine was begging Kurt to enter him.

"We need to move position, babe. I think the way we did it the other night would be best. I don't want to hurt you," Kurt said, sliding in behind Blaine and holding his leg up to make entry easier.

"Kurt, I missed this so much," Blaine murmured, trying to calm his breathing.

Kurt pressed forward, slipping in slowly as he stroked Blaine's erection to keep the sting from hurting too much.

"Kurt...oh..."

"You okay, baby?" Kurt asked.

"Yes...it's been so long, yes...oh, this is so right," Blaine said, though he wasn't aware too much of what he was saying. His mind was on the heat and pressure that hadn't been felt in that way since he was with Kurt in their loft. It all came back to him, all the nights he spent in Kurt's arms, all the times they made love. Yes, they were back on the right path and Blaine was determined to stay.

Kurt pulled back out, not wanting to come too soon but wanting at the same time to just fuck Blaine until they exploded. It was a double-edged sword and Kurt was looking to Blaine to guide them.

"Harder now, yes..."

"Blaine, baby, oh...ahhhhhh!"

They lost track of where or when they were until Kurt grew frustrated with the confines of being on his side and he pulled out.

"Kurt!" Blaine groaned, shocked at having him stop so suddenly.

Kurt lay back for a moment, gathering strength. He was using muscles that had laid dormant for years and it was hard to maintain. Adrenaline could only take him so far.

Blaine sat up, pressing Kurt to the mattress and straddled him, taking time to administer helpful kisses and strokes as he adjusted. He remembered the excitement of the old times back in the loft when he would ride Kurt.

"This okay?" he asked, looking into Kurt's beautiful blue eyes.

"Oh, yes..."

Blaine slid down slowly, enjoying each and every inch entering him. He pressed down in spite of the burn, down until Kurt was all the way in. Blaine was amazed he could take so much after being practically celibate for so long.

"Blaine...so good, babe...oh, my god you're tight..." Kurt gasped, unable to get his mind around it until Blaine lifted up and then came down again hard. Kurt was speechless, only making moaning sounds as the heat gathered and he held his breath.

"Yes...Kurt...there, my angel...there, right there," Blaine moaned, feeling the stimulation that he knew would lead to the end very quickly. With Kurt holding him by the waist and helping the movement, Blaine knew he was going to come very soon. It was building when Kurt let go with one hand, and began stroking him with his just-lubricated fist.

As Kurt bucked up to greet Blaine's thrusting down, his hand urging Blaine faster and faster, it was no surprise when his orgasm burst with pearly jets spraying up to Kurt's chin. Just a few more thrusts and Kurt was coming deep within his lover.

They both lay back after a bit of dabbing and wiping with a towel. Kurt's head was on Blaine's chest, his ear on Blaine's heart as he listened to it beating slow and steady, still so faithful.

"Ready for round two?" Kurt asked.

"Oh...Kurt, I'm not seventeen any more, honey. Why, are you ready?" Blaine laughed.

"Well, maybe not _just_ yet..." Kurt laughed, too.

"Angelface, we're going to make it, aren't we?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah. We will. I'm hoping those lines of communication get better and better with time. I'm willing to do whatever I need to do to make this last forever," Kurt reassured Blaine. He wanted to get past this lack of faith as soon as possible, so he kept trying to assure Blaine over and over again of his loyalty, his deep commitment to this union.

Blaine sat up, scooting over to kiss Kurt once again.

"I think if we take this one day at a time, it will all fall into place. We do need to do some planning, though. How about we get our pajamas on and go down to talk in the kitchen. I can make some chamomile tea?"

"Best idea you've had in...say, the last five minutes," Kurt grinned. He got up and found the flannel 'jammies he'd taken off earlier before he'd invaded Blaine's shower.

Bundled in flannels and warm robes, slippers on their feet, Blaine and Kurt walked down the steep staircase to the kitchen. While Blaine set about making tea, Kurt found pencil and paper to make notes. He reached in his pocket to run his fingers over the pink heart-rock that Danny had given him earlier that day. He smiled to himself, remembering the heart rocks he'd collected with Blaine's help that magical summer.

* * *

 _Kurt was walking down the beach, barefoot with Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt that Blaine had given him for his birthday back in May. Blaine had shown up at breakfast with short cut-offs and a striped sailor shirt that showed off Blaine's collar bones and made Kurt's mouth water. It was a warm day, but a bit cloudy and the boys had planned to go visit the museum at West Quoddy Head Lighthouse later after the tide came in._

 _Kurt had spoken to his dad just a short time ago and although Burt had tried to sound upbeat, Kurt could hear the melancholy in his voice._

 _Kurt had campaigned hard to get to go with Blaine to the seashore. Burt had been against it at first, but Kurt had been working hard at the tire shop after school for months to have the money to pay his own way._

 _It wasn't that Burt had anything against Blaine – they got along just fine – but Kurt thought that Burt didn't trust them to be chaste. The middle-aged man knew about seventeen-year-old boys and their raging hormones. Kurt had to reassure him that he was not going to just throw himself at the first boy that showed him any interest; that the sex talk that Burt had given him had the impact he was hoping for. It was a hard-won battle when Burt finally agreed to let Kurt join the Andersons in Maine._

 _Now Kurt was rethinking the reasons his father was so reluctant. He should have recognized sooner that Burt hadn't stopped him from going places with Blaine before. He'd encouraged them to go camping together – and there was a lot less supervision on those weekends than there would be at the Beach House with Blaine's grandparents._

 _No, after speaking to his dad on the phone that morning, Kurt thought he realized that it was the time involved that was the issue. Burt missed having Kurt there with him. While they didn't do things like watch football together or go to musicals put on by the community theatre, they did see each other every day. And now Burt was alone for the whole summer._

 _As Kurt rolled this new thought over, today's date came to mind. Oh. Today was June 1st, the anniversary of his mother's death. He stopped as if he'd been struck. He and his father had gone to the cemetery on this day every year since Elizabeth had died. Hand in hand they'd walk from the entrance gates along the path to her grave to sit on the bench and talk to her._

 _They never mentioned it other than on that date. It was a rite they had just known was something they both needed – the ritual of it as they cut pink roses, deep purple iris and white calla lilies from the back garden for the bouquet, then got dressed in their best clothes to drive to the cemetery. A few years ago, Kurt had been moved to sing to his mother and Burt seemed to take great comfort in that, so Kurt had prepared a song each year since._

 _Now here he was, so far away from his father. He felt as if he'd betrayed the one person in the world he loved more than anything. He loved Blaine, of course, but it wasn't the same. Blaine was his boyfriend, but Burt was his father._

 _Kurt sat down on a large rock, his head in his hands as gave in to his emotions. He felt like a failure to both his father and his mother. The hot tears started, slowly running over his cheeks to drip into his lap. He felt awful._

 _Closing his eyes to try to stop the tears, Kurt had a vision of his mother. She was dressed in capri denims, a crisp white shirt tucked to her slim waist and her heavy chestnut hair pulled back into a pony tail. She was kneeling on a pad in front of her garden, digging holes to plant iris bulbs and smiling up at his eight-year-old self as he presented her with a glass of cool lemonade._

 _Then the scene switched to him, sitting on the staircase, watching as his father took her into his arms and danced with her across the hardwood floor, music coming from the small portable record player. Burt kissed Elizabeth's neck and she giggled, turning to find his lips and kiss him back._

 _Lost to his memories, Kurt didn't hear Blaine come up behind him. The boy sat down on the boulder and wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist, kissing his neck. Just like in the memory, Kurt turned to find Blaine's lips and kissed his boyfriend softly._

" _Are you okay, angel?" Blaine asked, his voice low and full of concern._

" _Yes," Kurt said, not sure how to explain what was going on in his head._

" _Are you...are you sorry you came with me for the summer?" Blaine asked, the fear louder this time._

" _Oh, no, baby! No! I love being with you. What made you think that?"_

" _You were talking to your dad this morning, and you've seemed sad ever since. I can find a way to get you home if you need to be with your father, Kurt. I understand, you haven't ever been away from him for this long, have you?" Blaine asked. He was a little jealous that Kurt had such a great relationship with his father. Blaine's dad was very loving and had worked hard to accept Blaine for who he was, and now after a few missteps they got along fine – but it was nothing like the love that showed between Burt and his son._

" _Blaine..." Kurt tried to speak, but his pain got stuck in his throat and he knew if he tried to say anything he would choke. Instead, he put his arms around Blaine and his head in the place he loved: the notch between neck and shoulder, the place he felt closest to Blaine. He tried to stop the tears, sniffling so his nose wouldn't run._

" _Angel, don't worry. Go ahead and cry, I'll hold you until you can tell me, okay?" Blaine offered, his strong arms curling around Kurt's shoulders as the pale boy let go and cried his heart out._

 _Blaine just sat quietly, holding Kurt close and whispering loving things into his ear. He massaged Kurt's back, keeping him close as he cried. The sobs finally stopped and Blaine took Kurt's jaw in his hand, bringing his face up so he could look into his eyes._

" _Better?" he asked, bringing his lips to Kurt's in a soft kiss._

" _Yes, better. I'm so sorry...I want to be here with you, Blaine. I do, but...it's just that today..." Kurt tried to tell him, but it just wasn't coming out._

" _You don't have to say anything, Kurt. You don't owe me any explanations. Just be here with me now, and we'll find the answers later," Blaine offered. Kurt sighed in relief._

" _Thank you, babe. What did I ever do to deserve you?" he asked rhetorically and Blaine laughed._

" _Come here, let me kiss you again," Blaine said, deliberately missing Kurt's mouth and kissing his nose instead. He smiled when that made his boyfriend giggle, and he tried to kiss his neck, but blew a raspberry instead._

" _Oh, Blaine. I do feel better, but I also want to tell you what's wrong. Today is the anniversary of my mother's death," Kurt got out before the tears threatened again. Blaine lost his smile immediately._

" _Oh, my God, Kurt. I'm so sorry. No wonder you're so upset. I had no idea...is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" he asked._

" _No...it's just that my dad and I...every year...we go to sit by her grave. We go out to the garden and gather a bouquet of the flowers she planted, then we get dressed and walk through the cemetery..." Kurt couldn't say anything else, but he knew Blaine understood."...and every year I find a song to sing to her...but I forgot. This year I forgot, and my dad didn't say anything, but I could hear it in his voice...he was so sad and I left him alone," Kurt said. His body just crumpled as he slid down the rock to rest on the warm sand._

 _Blaine slid down next to him, trying to think of something to do when it came to him. He could sing for Kurt's mother._

"Sha-la-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la  
You used to call me your angel  
Said I was sent straight down from heaven  
You'd hold me close in your arms

I loved the way you felt so strong  
I never wanted you to leave  
I wanted you to stay here holding me" 

_Kurt joined in, his clear sweet voice strong in the silence of the beach. Blaine reached out a hand and they sat, looking at the horizon. Tears were welling in Kurt's eyes – but this time it was for the joy of remembering his mother._

"I miss you  
I miss your smile  
And I still shed a tear  
Every once in a while  
And even though it's different now  
You're still here somehow  
My heart won't let you go  
And I need you to know  
I miss you, sha la la la la  
I miss you

You used to call me your dreamer  
And now I'm living out my dream  
Oh how I wish you could see  
Everything that's happening for me  
I'm thinking back on the past  
It's true that time is flying by too fast

I know you're in a better place, yeah  
But I wish that I could see your face, oh  
I know you're where you need to be  
Even though it's not here with me

I miss you  
I miss your smile  
And I still shed a tear  
Every once in a while  
And even though it's different now  
You're still here somehow  
My heart won't let you go  
And I need you to know  
I miss you, sha la la la la  
I miss you"

" _Thank you, Blaine, thank you so much. I love you. You made me feel so much better," Kurt tried to smile, but it failed miserably. He tried again to smile, he wanted in the worst way to show Blaine how much he appreciated the song, but his heart was broken and he didn't know how to fix it._

" _Let's go look for sea glass," Kurt suggested, getting back on his feet and holding out a hand to Blaine. They got up, brushing the sand off their clothes and gathering the net bags to hold whatever treasure they found._

 _Kurt hadn't taken more than a step or two when Blaine came back, a hand gliding around his waist to pull him close._

" _Look what I found," Blaine said, handing Kurt a rock. Kurt took it, not sure why Blaine had picked up the reddish misshapen rock to show him. "No, hold it this way – see?"_

 _Kurt studied it for a moment, then it hit him._

" _It's a heart!" he said, surprised. "I've never seen a heart-shaped rock before."_

" _Oh, Kurt, it must be from your mother. You were missing her and she left you this..." Blaine said with wonder, believing it._

 _Kurt looked at the heart-rock again, holding it up to study. He walked over to the edge of the shore and squatted down, washing the rock in the water. He held it up again, smiling. He felt the warmth that had been gone for too long, as if his mother had just wrapped him safe in her arms._

 _He and Blaine walked back up the beach towards the wooden stairs that led to the house. Now that his mind was open to seeing the gift of heart-rocks from his mother, he saw them everywhere. He and Blaine collected a bag of them on their way back to the house as the tide came in._

 _Later that night, Kurt called his dad, telling him about his day and about Blaine finding the heart rocks. Burt sounded better, as if his heart was somehow lighter. He told Kurt about going to the cemetery and leaving Elizabeth a bouquet of pink roses from the garden._

" _Good night, Dad. I love you," Kurt said, vowing to call his dad several times a week for the rest of the summer._

" _I love you, too, kiddo. Be safe. Good night."_

* * *

"Penny for your thoughts," Blaine said, seeing that Kurt was back from his daydream.

"I was just remembering that summer. It was the best summer of my whole life, Blaine, and that was all because of you. You took my heart that was broken in a million pieces and you put it all back together, babe. I owe you so much – for making me face my problems instead of running from them, for showing me that I might actually be lovable. Before you, I never thought that was possible. I just want to say thank you," Kurt told him, pulling him closer to give him a hug.

"Aw, Kurt, we saved each other, you know that. All those talks we had – when I was so sure my father hated me and you showed me that if he didn't care, he wouldn't have tried so hard. Like the car he helped me restore – yes, it was not going to make me straight, but he was trying to help me in the only way he understood.

"After that summer I was able to see that and we talked about being gay and that it is not a choice but who you are born to be. He tried so hard to understand. I don't know if he understands everything even now, but our relationship is good. And that is all thanks to you, angel."

Kurt blushed. He remembered being so angry with Blaine's father, not speaking to him on the long drive to Maine from Ohio that summer. He also remembered finally calling his own father in frustration and having Burt tell him that he thought Mr. Anderson needed more understanding and less hostility. He thought if Kurt put himself in the man's shoes that he might be able to explain instead of make an enemy of the man.

Kurt took his dad's advice and talked it over with Blaine, and it turned out that Mr. Anderson was more than willing to listen to his son and to try to understand. Blaine's parents left after a week to go back to Ohio, but when they came to get the boys at the end of summer, things were much better between Blaine and his father.

Kurt absently took the heart-rock out of his pocket and sat rubbing the edge of it while they talked. Plans were made for the rest of the week, things Danny might enjoy. Then the talk came to what going back to New York was going to look like. Blaine had no real attachment to the apartment he was living in and neither did Kurt. They agreed to look for a bigger place that would accommodate them all. By the time they finished that discussion, both men were yawning and looking at the clock.

"It's half past midnight, babe. I think we better get to bed if we're going to keep up with Danny tomorrow," Kurt said, a smile on his face thinking about the small boy he was quickly learning to love.

Blaine got up and set the cups in the sink, then came back to take Kurt's hand. They made their way up the stairs and into bed, falling asleep immediately as they cuddled together under the blankets.


	12. Chapter 12 - Tourists

**The Beach House – Chapter Twelve - Tourists**

"Are you guys sleeping in again?" Danny asked, pulling on the blanket to wake his father.

"Ahh..." Blaine answered, still groggy from too little sleep and the toll his emotions were taking on him these past few days. He turned to see how Kurt fared and smiled when he saw just how beautiful Kurt was, asleep on his pillow. He really did look like an angel.

"Shhh...Mr. Kurt is asleep, honey. I'll get up and we can go down to cook breakfast. Okay?" Blaine whispered.

"Okay. Like a surprise? We can put it on a tray and bring it up with flowers?" Danny asked, getting excited as his whisper grew in intensity.

Blaine put a finger to his lips, asking quietly for Daniel to be silent. Danny grinned and nodded his head. He followed his father to the hallway and waited for him to close the door before he let out a big sigh, as if being quiet took a great deal of energy.

"Are his Bumblebee Kittens sleeping?" Danny asked, his eyes big.

"Yes, son, I think so. We need to be very quiet today, Mr. Kurt isn't feeling well I think," Blaine said. Kurt had tossed and turned in his sleep, mumbling and sighing. Blaine had tried to comfort him, holding him close and it seemed to work for a while, but an hour later Kurt was restless again. It looked as if he was now resting comfortably and Blaine wanted him to stay that way. He looked at the clock in the hall and saw it was only six in the morning.

"Okay, Danny Boy, let's both get cleaned up and get dressed. Do you need any help with picking out clothes?" Blaine asked. The boy had recently gone through a stage where he was insistent upon dressing himself. They had to have several talks about what clothes were proper for certain circumstances, but the boy was learning quickly.

"It is warm out already, Daddy, so can I wear the green shorts with the red and green tiger shirt?" he asked, thinking of his favorite short-sleeved striped polo.

"That sounds perfect, honey," Blaine approved. "How about your white sandals and the white sweater in case you get chilly?"

"Okay. I'll go brush my teeth, Daddy," the boy said, turning to rush into his bathroom and get the day going.

Blaine went back in his bedroom, being very quiet as he chose his own clothes. He had light khaki cargo shorts and a sailor shirt he knew Kurt would love. He brushed his teeth and washed his face, then shaved and met Danny down in the kitchen.

It was after nine before Kurt stumbled into the kitchen, tripping over a building made of blocks strewn across the front hallway.

"Mr. Kurt! You knocked over my lighthouse!" Danny exclaimed. Kurt stood in the doorway holding his foot in one hand as he tried to balance on the other.

"Kurt! Are you okay?" Blaine shouted at the same time.

"I'm fine, just stubbed my toe," Kurt assured them, setting his foot down gingerly. He tried putting weight on it and smiled as it didn't hurt.

"We made you breakfast, but you were asleep a long, long time so we ate your pancakes," Danny said. He took Kurt's hand and led him into the kitchen table where the tray was sitting – now empty of food but the dish, silverware, and vase with a single carnation sat. Kurt smiled down at the little boy.

"That is the nicest thing anyone has done for me – since yesterday when you gave me the heart rock," Kurt told him sincerely.

"We have the pancake batter in the refrigerator!" Danny crowed and went to find his dad. Blaine was picking up the scattered blocks.

"Oh, let me help. I'm sorry. I left the lighthouse to show Mr. Kurt, I didn't know he would trip on them," Danny said with sorrow. He looked up at his dad, his lip quivering in guilt.

"You can help, but nobody is upset with you. Kurt just didn't see them. It was an accident," Blaine reassured his son, patting his little back and placing a kiss on his curly head.

"Can you make the pancakes for Mr. Kurt? I will pick the rest up," Daniel suggested.

"Sure, honey. Come in when you're done and we can sit with Kurt while he eats."

After a large breakfast of bacon with blueberry pancakes, the three sat around the big kitchen table to talk about what they were going to do that day.

"Well, the morning is almost over now, so how about we plan for the afternoon?" Blaine said. Kurt ducked his head down.

"Sorry, guys. You could have woken me up you know..." Kurt said with a bit of embarrassment. He was so used to being on his own and setting his own hours that it was hard to get used to doing things as a group.

"Don't be sorry, Mr. Kurt-Angel, Daddy said you weren't feeling well. He makes me stay in bed all day when I'm sick," Danny said, putting a comforting hand to Kurt's forearm.

"Thank you, Danny. I'm feeling better now," Kurt assured the little boy.

"We can go visit with Miss Judy," Blaine suggested. "Danny was thinking about the lighthouse today. That's why he had left the one he built of blocks out to show you, Kurt."

"Oh! It was so good...I saw it just as I tripped. You could grow up to be an architect, Danny," Kurt suggested.

"An archy...what?"

"An architect. Someone who designs and draws buildings," Kurt told him and Danny grinned.

"I like to draw. I can draw lighthouses and reg'lur houses and everythin!" he said with enthusiasm.

"Do you want to go see the lighthouse today?" Blaine asked and was met with shouts of positive approval.

"Okay, I'm going to let the dishes sit in the sink until tonight. Then we can do them with the supper dishes. Let's go. Shall we walk? The tide is out and the weather is warm," he told them.

The three set out along the path at the top of the ridge that ran along the shore. From the path, they could see the harbor seals and lobster boats going out to sea. There were colorful buoys and a lot of birds.

"Look at the rocks!" Danny pointed out, "Those are the ones the seals take naps on."

It was a bright and beautiful day. They walked to the lighthouse museum and gift shop, entering to the happy greeting of Judy Towse-McPhee.

"Good morning, Judy," Kurt greeted the woman, a warm smile on his face. She came over and gave the man a hug. "I brought back your macintosh. Thank you so much for the use of it."

"You are entirely welcome. I see you found your way back last night," she said, giving Kurt a secret look. He grinned back at her.

"Yes, ma'am, I did. Thank you for that, too," he said.

"And just who is this young man?" she asked, smiling down at Danny.

"Daniel Zebulon Anderson!" the boy shouted, grinning up at the woman.

"Oh, I see. Well, welcome to West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, Daniel Zebulon Anderson," Judy greeted him. "Did you come to take the tour?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answered, following Kurt's advice. "Did you feed Mr. Kurt-Angel last night when he got lost in the rain?"

"I did. I gave him some of my Manhattan Clam Chowder. It was a recipe your great-grandmother Flora gave to me."

"Oh? Daddy says our house used to be hers a long, long time ago. Before I was borned," Danny acknowledged. "Mr. Kurt-Angel is my own guardian angel. He saved me from a terrible storm when I was lost in the trash and my teacher left me in the park," Daniel told the woman. "Does that mean you are Mr. Kurt's guardian angel?"

"It sure does," Kurt interrupted. "Now, let's go on the tour, okay?"

The three men followed Judy to the lighthouse and she walked up the stairs, telling them all about the history of the lighthouse since it was built in 1808, then showing them the fresnel lens.

"This reflected the oil lamps for 74 years in the lighthouse," Judy told them.

"How big is it?" Danny asked, his eyes huge as he looked at the sections in the lens, each one framed in iron.

"This is a "third order" fresnel, four feet eight inches high and over three feet in diameter, weighs a ton, and it's not the largest," she told him.

Blaine carried Danny as they went back down to the gift shop and Kurt bought Danny a tourist shirt with the picture of the lighthouse on the front, just like the one Judy gave him last night.

They waved goodbye to Mrs. Towse-McPhee and walked back to their house, Kurt and Blaine taking turns carrying the very tired little boy. He was asleep on his dad's shoulder before they got back to the house.

* * *

"Ahhh," Blaine sighed, sitting in the front room on the sailcloth sofa. He thought about sitting there yesterday and about the fight that he'd had with Kurt. Looking over to Kurt, sitting in a rocking chair near the sofa, he noticed the melancholy look on his face.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said. It was something his grandmother said a lot and being in her house brought it subconsciously to Blaine's mind frequently.

"I was thinking about being in here with you yesterday, babe, and the misunderstanding we had. Is it always going to be that way? One of us jumps to conclusions and the other gets angry and it warps into one running away and both of us in pain?" he asked, looking up at Blaine as the man got up to lean close to Kurt.

"No. It doesn't have to be. We both need to learn that running away is not the answer. We have to agree to sit and talk it over when we're upset," Blaine said, gently.

Kurt reached up and put his arms around Blaine, gathering him close so he was sitting on Kurt's lap now.

"I agree. Let's promise that whenever we have a fight like that, we'll stop and maybe take a few breaths, regroup and talk it out. I think we got into a very bad habit early on – probably because we were so young. At least that's what my dad told me when we broke up," Kurt spoke quietly, but Blaine could tell he was very upset.

The breakup had been traumatic on both of the men. Blaine had let things get to him without finding a way to let off the pressure building inside of him and the last straw was when Kurt spent the money for utility bills on Broadway show tickets.

"Kurt, I know it's inevitable that we talk about the breakup, it's natural that it comes up – but it breaks my heart every time I think of it, how stupid I was..." Blaine admitted, wiping at his eyes.

Kurt tugged his face closer and kissed the tears from his cheeks.

"Okay, I can see that. I think we've said everything there is to say about that time, baby. I can try not to mention it again. There is no gain in trying to find the blame, to pin it all on one of us. I'm sorry," Kurt whispered, kissing the little hollow behind Blaine's ear that was so sensitive.

"Thank you, angel," Blaine breathed. He stood up, reaching for Kurt's arms to pull him out of the rocker. "C'mere."

Kurt followed him, giggling when Blaine pulled Kurt down on top of him on the sofa.

"Oh, that's nice..." Blaine laughed as he pressed Kurt closer, feeling like a teenager again as he pressed himself up into Kurt. Kurt was no better, rutting down to feel the friction he recalled from days long passed.

"Blaine...that does feel good...but, I know what might feel better," Kurt smiled a mischievous smile.

"And pray tell, what would that be?" Blaine asked. Kurt withdrew from the frottage, causing Blaine to sigh in frustration. "Aw, angel...I don't want to go upstairs and possibly wake Daniel..."

"No, we're not going anywhere, doll-face. Just wait," Kurt tiptoed over to shut the pocket doors to the room they were in, then drew the heavy drapes to put the room in darkness. They could still see just fine, but it made it seem cozier. Kurt came back to the sofa, pulling the drawstring loose on his beach shorts, then opening the button and zipper on Blaine's cargoes.

"Hips up," Kurt demanded as he pulled down Blaine's shorts and then sat back with wide eyes as he saw the man was wearing a blue thong. "Blaine...?"

"I got this before we left New York – just for you, Mr. Kurt-Angel," Blaine said, his voice somewhat lower and deeper than it had been minutes ago.

"I like it..." Kurt said, embarrassed as his voice chirped like it hadn't since he was at Dalton.

To cover his slight embarrassment, he came closer to the sofa and, placing a pillow on the hardwood floor, knelt down and began kissing Blaine's thighs as he pulled off first his cargo shorts from where he'd left them around his ankles and then the blue thong. The clothing dispensed with, Kurt slipped his own off and ran a finger down Blaine's chest, following it with his mouth. From the beginnings of their exploration of each other, Kurt was delighted to find that Blaine's nipples were amazingly sensitive and they had not changed with time. He laid his body partially along the sofa, reaching to lick Blaine's left nipple as he cupped him briefly before gently stroking up Blaine's shaft.

"My angel..." Blaine sighed, giving in and just letting Kurt do what he wanted to. Blaine's thighs were shaking as Kurt shifted his attention to his erection. Kurt slid his mouth over the head and deeper until it hit the back of his throat. It had taken some time at the beginning, but Kurt had become a master at this and it was all coming back to him.

"Yes...Oh, angel face, yes..." Blaine was losing himself in the sensations, his hands gripping the fabric of the sofa and his thighs parting as he tried not to buck into Kurt's mouth too hard. He thought this was the most sensuous thing he could feel until Kurt shifted his weight, moving Blaine's legs farther apart and climbing up on the long sofa. He was rubbing gently at Blaine's balls, moving his face down to pull first one then the other in his mouth. He sucked ever so gently, moving them slightly in their pouch before letting go. He was still stroking Blaine with his hand when he moved down to run his warm, wet tongue to slide around his rim.

Blaine groaned, forgetting himself until Kurt reached up to place his hand over Blaine's mouth to remind him to keep it quieter. Blaine held his breath as Kurt's tongue entered him, speeding up the strokes to his hard erection.

Kurt spent a long time rimming Blaine, knowing how much he had always loved this. That was the best part for Kurt, always...witnessing how much his actions affected Blaine. When Blaine thought he couldn't possibly take any more, he tugged at Kurt, catching his attention and helping him to switch to the other end of the sofa, his hips over Blaine's head.

Blaine reached his neck up until he could take Kurt into his mouth, touching his thighs and reaching around to massage a cheek. Kurt was back to sucking Blaine off, making needy sounds that sent Blaine crazy. He sucked Kurt in deeper, feeling satisfaction as his angel moaned and he felt the vibrations all the way to his toes.

It was not long before both of them were close to climax, slowing down a bit to get ready for the final sprint...

The tingling heat gathered in the pit of Blaine's belly was getting too hard to hold off anymore and he growled, trying to warn Kurt. His lover was well aware, though, feeling Blaine's muscles grip and pull taut – causing the same effect in himself. He did the last trick up his sleeve... rubbing the tip of his tongue down into the small slit and down to the spot just below the crown and felt Blaine stiffen before his orgasm spilled hot and plentiful into Kurt's mouth as Blaine whined deep in his throat. The vibrations triggered Kurt's own ejaculation and Blaine sucked gently to increase the sensitivity as Kurt groaned, having pulled off of Blaine. His passion exploded and Blaine swallowed every trace of Kurt's warm semen, licking him clean.

The two men lay still for a few moments, waiting for their breathing to return to normal, for their hearts to slow and muscles to soften. Kurt got up, searching for his inhaler and taking two puffs before grabbing the soft blanket off the end of the ottoman and spreading it over Blaine, then snuggling under the blanket with him.

"You okay?" Blaine asked, sitting up with a look of concern on his face.

"I'll be fine if you will hold me," Kurt assured him. He sat down next to Blaine on the wide sofa, then snuggled under the blanket.

Blaine lay with his head on Kurt's chest, his hand over Kurt's heart. Kurt's arms were warm and strong, holding Blaine as close as he could.

"I love you so much, baby..." Kurt whispered, kissing Blaine behind his small ear. That was something Kurt had always loved about Blaine – he had these small ears, almost translucent like a child's. It made kissing his neck an even more sensuous experience, and he did it again, just to feel Blaine's hands tighten that tiny bit. Kurt smiled into Blaine's neck. He glanced a the clock – 2:20. Not quite time for Danny to be up from his nap, but you never knew. Boys did not run on time-clocks.

"I hate to bring this up, but...we better get dressed. Your son might be down soon and I don't relish running around trying to find my underwear while he knocks at the door," Kurt laughed.

"Okay, angel...just hand me my thong and cargoes...I'm not putting the shirt back on until I have to. And neither are you. I like your bare chest to lay my head on," Blaine said, his eyes looking sleepy and his mouth looking very thoroughly kissed. Kurt wondered if his lips looked the same.

Kurt sat up, taking his time, but finding their clothes and helping Blaine on with his before unlocking the door and sliding it back into the wall. He came back and lay down next to Blaine, snuggling close and hiding his face in Blaine's neck as he had always done. It felt like coming home. The scent of Blaine – his cologne mixed with recent sex and a touch of honest sweat. Kurt could also catch the smell of the ocean, which seemed to surround Blaine whether he was here or in New York City.

"You smell good, babe," Kurt murmured, taking a deeper breath and humming his satisfaction.

Blaine giggled and put his own nose nearer to Kurt.

"You smell like the garden after a good rain," Blaine said.

"Oh, that's my favorite cologne. I was in a boutique store on 5th Avenue and the store clerk was giving out samples of this cologne. I fell in love with it - 'Rain' by Marc Jacobs. I'm glad I bought several bottles – it was discontinued a few years ago and it's about impossible to find now. I saw a bottle on ebay for over $300!" Kurt said, obviously unhappy with the exorbitant price.

"Oh, sweetheart. I'll buy you a new bottle. I love the way it smells on you," Blaine said, smiling at how excited Kurt got over silly little things like the scent of a new cologne.

Blaine sat up, leaning on the big pillow at the end of the sofa and pulling Kurt closer between his legs. He liked the feel of Kurt's back cozy against his chest and besides, he could kiss the nape of his neck like this. He gave Kurt a few soft kisses on his tender skin, his arms around Kurt's waist.

"I never thought to ask you – do you have your passport with you?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah, it's up in the dresser drawer. Why?"

"I was thinking we could go over the bridge to Canada tomorrow. We can go visit Campobello Island," Blaine suggested.

"I couldn't go that summer – I remember. I didn't have a passport. That's the place Franklin Roosevelt spent his summers, right?" Kurt asked.

'Yeah, His parents bought it before FDR was born and it stayed in the family until after Eleanor died. It's on Canadian soil, so you have to have a passport to visit, but the park is the only International Park owned and run by two countries," Blaine told him.

Kurt laughed, "Well, aren't you the tour guide today."

"Hey, I've just been there dozens of times. My grandparents took me just about every year. It's a nice drive – the grounds are beautiful – and it's free to tour the 'cottage'."

"Cottage?" Kurt asked, looking skeptical.

"Yeah, the 34-room, three floor, cottage," Blaine smiled.

"Okay, I'm up for all that. We can leave early in the morning and make a day of it," Kurt agreed.

* * *

It was the next day when they had packed the Navigator with snacks and water bottles. They started out early to see Campobello Island. They showed their passports, followed by a discussion on what exactly a passport was – but Danny was too young to understand the concept and grew bored.

The drive through the forest surrounding Roosevelt Park was a fairyland of densely packed trees and shrubs with tiny flowers, mushrooms, berries and other things to see. They parked the car and walked along a path in the woods.

"This is where fairies live, isn't it, Daddy?" Danny asked, his eyes bright as he found all sorts of places that he was sure the little people made their houses.

"I'm sure they do, honey," Blaine agreed.

"Remember not to put anything in your mouth, okay, pal?" Kurt warned. He could just imagine the small boy trying some exotic mushroom that looked like fairy-food and having to rush the boy to a hospital.

"I know better than that!" the boy sounded offended that Kurt had such little faith in him. "Daddy told me about how our food and fairy food isn't the same and I'm not to try any fairy food without asking him," Danny informed his friend.

"Okay, sorry Danny. I was just trying to look out for you," Kurt apologized.

"Oh! Because you're my guardian angel?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. That's why. I care about you, Danny, and I want you to stay safe," Kurt said, picking the small boy up to give him a hug.

"So...Daddy is just like a guardian angel, right?" he asked, his gaze going over to where his father was smiling at them.

"Yes, he is, buddy," Kurt grinned, winking at Blaine. He set the boy down again so they could walk some more. They found all kinds of special places where Daniel was sure the fairies had built houses. Some in fallen, hollow logs or a few broken branches that had moss growing on them that looked like some sort of tent.

"Let's get back to the car, we want to see the Roosevelt cottage before noon so we have time to go into St. Andrews By-the-Bay," Blaine encouraged them.

The cottage was fun. From the formal parlors and dining rooms to the elegant bedrooms for all of the many Roosevelt children, there was furniture and pictures and other things on display throughout the house. There were rooms for doing school work and play rooms with balls, badminton equipment, and toys for the smaller children. The tour guides told them all about the summers the president and his family spent here, boating, fishing, and playing all kinds of sports. They walked through the cottage, looking at all the antiques from the old days including the bass-wood and linen airplane that Elliott Roosevelt built with his father.

Danny was fascinated by the kitchen with the wood stoves and the copper boilers that served the family for cooking and washing. Of course, the Roosevelts had servants and there were simpler quarters where the maids lived. Outside were canoes and other things the family used for recreation during the summers they spent there.

Danny was getting tired by the time they finished the tour of the cottage, so they opted not to walk the grounds. Instead they drove to St. Andrews by-the-sea and found a restaurant that served lobster rolls. This time there was no shrimp basket for Danny – he wanted his own lobster roll and ate most of it himself.

They walked around the town a bit until a woman in a store asked them where they were from. She smiled and admired Danny's sweet smile and told them about the aquarium at the Huntsman Marine Ocean Science Center. She even called to be sure they were opened that day.

The aquarium was amazing. Blaine and Kurt knew because Danny said it every few minutes.

"Daddy! Come look at the blue lobster!" he'd shout, looking in the glass front of the display case. He loved all the fish and other creatures he saw, asking questions about how the fish got along and why the crabs weren't ones they could eat.

"There's something upstairs he might like to see," a very good looking man with wavy blond hair and a sparkling smile told them.

"Yes?" Blaine asked.

The man took him aside to whisper in his ear (while Kurt kept a very close eye on them!) and Blaine thanked him.

"Let's see what's upstairs, Danny," Blaine said with enthusiasm. The went up in the elevator and Danny ran to another display, calling his dad and Kurt to come see the seals.

They joined him and watched the harbor seals, Loki and Snorkel, for a while. Then Blaine led them over to what looked like a pond in the middle of the floor, except it was 2 feet off the ground and had a ledge where Danny could sit and look into the shallow water.

"Oh!" he exclaimed as the rocks and plants revealed all kinds of animals and fish. "Look, there's a crab!" he shouted, followed by excited discoveries of clams, fish, snails, and all kinds of other things.

"This is a very special kind of pond, Danny. It's called a 'touch pool' and you are allowed to touch the things in the pool," Blaine explained to his son. Kurt's eyebrows went up at the prospect of being able to touch some of the things in the pool.

"Oh, wow..." Danny said, reaching out a hand to put it in the edge of the water, looking around to be sure it was okay. A woman in a uniform was standing near the pool and she smiled at the little boy, nodding her head that it was fine. Blaine came over to instruct his hesitant son about the touch pool.

"You need to be careful, though, first, so you don't hurt any of the animals and second, that they don't hurt you. You know crabs and lobsters have claws – and those claws can pinch. So, don't try to pick one up," Blaine smiled at his son.

"Okay, Daddy. I'll be soft and also careful," Danny promised. He reached his finger down to touch a sea anemone. "Oh!" he said, his mouth in the shape of an 'O' as he felt the funny prickles. He touched the back of a crab next, pulling his hand back quickly when the crab moved and scared him.

"This is so cool!" Kurt joined in, touching the shell of some kind of sea snail.

The guard walked over when Blaine stopped Danny from touching a stingray.

"No, it's okay. They are very docile and they don't have stingers. Rays are my favorite citizens in the pool," she told Blaine quietly. He turned and nodded to Danny that it was okay to touch it.

"Oh, Daddy. It's soft!" he exclaimed, surprised to feel the velvety surface. Blaine and Kurt both reached in to feel the rays, stroking them across their backs. When Kurt walked around to see Danny a little better, the ray followed him, swimming in circles at the top of the pool as if to get his attention again. Kurt laughed and petted the slick animal once more.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Blaine said, grinning at Kurt.

They stayed for a while longer, and finally decided to drive back to Lubec, wanting to go home, tired from the long day.

"Daddy, I have to go potty before we leave," Danny said to his dad before they left the Touch Pool.

"I'll take him. I need to go, too," Kurt offered.

Blaine made a quick trip to the gift shop, pocketing his purchase as he went back to the lobby. He turned as someone came up to him. It was the kind guard who helped them at the Touch Pool. She smiled at Blaine.

"It's so nice to see parents come here with their children. You and your husband have raised a very sweet little boy," she said, a smile on her face. Blaine stood still for a moment, struck dumb by her compliment. He answered, not sure why he felt no reason to correct her impression.

"Thank you. Kurt and Daniel are the light of my life," Blaine said, knowing every word of that was true.

Blaine heard a noise and turned, seeing a look go over Kurt's face. He'd heard the conversation then. He didn't see the same wonder on his son's face. Danny had heard the guard and what his father had answered. He was afraid to say anything, it wasn't polite to correct your elders and Danny knew it well. He had a puzzled look as he followed the two men out of the building.

Blaine took Kurt's hand, tugging him close and giving him a gentle kiss on the corner of his mouth.

They made their way to the Navigator, buckling Danny in and driving back to the border crossing. It was dusk before they got home, Kurt carrying the sleepy boy into the house as Blaine got the rest of their things out of the SUV.

"I'm too tired to eat, Daddy," Danny said, picking up his head from Kurt's shoulder. "I want to go to bed."

"Sure, honey. You had a long day and no nap. Did you eat anything on the way home?" Blaine asked.

"The grapes and the peanut butter sandwich. I'm not hungry anymore, Daddy," Danny said, his voice betraying his sleepiness.

"I'll take him up to bed, Blaine," Kurt offered.

"Okay, I'll get this stuff all put away and be up in a few minutes," Blaine said, turning to unpack the ice chest.

* * *

"Mr. Kurt-Angel?"

"Yes, Daniel?" Kurt responded as he helped the boy off with his clothes and on with his pajamas. The little boy was so tired he was almost staggering and Kurt let him lean back against his chest, hands on Kurt's knees to keep himself steady as he lifted first one then the other leg into the pajama pants. Daniel was thinking about the guard and what she had said to his dad. She thought Kurt was also his dad and she thought that the two of them were married. That thought started a warm glow in Danny's belly.

"I was wondering...since Daddy and I love you so much, can you come live with us? All my friends have two parents and I think Daddy would like it if you were my daddy, too," he said, not realizing how much it meant to Kurt to hear the boy say this. Kurt bowed his head, swallowing the cry that was waiting in his throat to come out. He knew he had to say something to Danny, but he didn't know what that would be. Should he call Blaine up here to help? He jumped a bit when Daniel put a warm hand back on his knee to get his attention.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked. He could see that Kurt was emotional, even if he didn't know the word for it.

"How do you know your daddy feels like that?" Kurt managed to say, although it came out hoarse.

"I can see his face when he looks at you. I knew you were my guardian angel the day you saved me, that's why I let you take me to your 'partment. If I didn't know, I would have called for a policeman," Danny said in a serious tone.

Kurt sat looking at the boy for a moment, thoughts stirring in his head. He hadn't even thought of that – why had the boy gone with him so willingly?

"Tell me more," Kurt asked. Daniel yawned.

"Daddy has your picture in his drawer at home. I was looking for my red bouncy ball and I saw the picture. It was in a frame like the one of Grandma Flora and Grandpa Zebulon. I'm not supposed to be in Daddy's drawers, they're private. Don't tell him, please. I forgot when I was looking for my ball," Danny told him in a whisper.

"I won't tell, honey. What did the picture look like?" Kurt asked, not noticing he had called the boy by the pet name his dad used.

"It was you and Daddy, kissing. You were outside my grandma's house – the other grandma we don't talk about. You were by the lilac bushes and Daddy had funny plastic hair, but I knew it was him. He and you are...kissing. There is a heart drawn on the bottom of the frame and squiggly writing."

Kurt knew exactly which picture that was. He smiled at Danny's description of Blaine's hair gelled down back then. They had been at a party and went to Blaine's house to get more ice. He and Blaine kissed by the lilac bushes in the front of the house and Rachel had snapped the photo. Kurt had it framed and gave it to Blaine for Christmas that year. He'd drawn the heart when he signed it.

Blaine kept that photo in his dresser drawer?

"G'night, Mr Kurt-Angel," Danny said, his eyes falling closed as he laid down in his bed. Kurt pulled his blanket around his shoulders and kissed him good night on his pink cheek.


	13. Chapter 13 - Back to New York

**The Beach House – Chapter Thirteen – Back to New York**

"I'll go up to read Danny a story, I'm almost done here," Blaine said as Kurt entered the kitchen.

"No need, he's sound asleep. He didn't even ask to have a song. Poor little guy was exhausted," Kurt said, coming up in back of Blaine to put his arms around him. Blaine turned halfway around and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

"Well, that's unusual!" Blaine said, meaning his son not asking for a song, not Kurt's kiss.

"It was a busy day. I'm pretty tired myself," Kurt whined, turning Blaine around in his arms and giving him a bigger kiss.

"We can go to bed early," Blaine suggested. Kurt smiled, cupping Blaine's ass cheeks in his hands and giving them a gentle squeeze.

"I'm all for that," Kurt replied, grinning. Blaine walked over to a cabinet and got out a paper sack with the logo from the Huntsman Aquarium gift shop printed on the front.

"Hey, look what hitched a ride home with us," Blaine teased, handing the sack to Kurt. He opened it carefully and withdrew a stuffed stingray with a pink ribbon tied around the tail. He grinned and threw his arms around Blaine.

"Thank you, babe. This is so cute!" Kurt chortled, giving the stuffed pet a kiss. Blaine smiled at the reception his little gift received.

"Let's take a quick walk around the house, get the stiffness out of our legs, then up to shower and bed?"

"Sure..." Kurt started to say, but Blaine put a finger to his lips.

"Ah, ah, ah! Don't say anything about stiffnesses. I know you..." Blaine laughed. Kurt blushed. That was exactly what he was going to say.

Kurt took the sting ray into the hall and set it on the railing to take up to the bedroom later. They began their walk on the back porch, walking arm in arm around to the berry patch. Kurt picked a few raspberries and put one in Blaine's mouth. Blaine smiled at the tangy sweetness of the berry and picked a few more to eat as they walked. The went down the path that led to the beach, taking in the smell of the salt-roses that bloomed in abundance. Coming back along that path, Blaine let go of Kurt's hand and put an arm around his waist instead.

They strolled around the other side of the house, under the mulberry trees and into the grape arbor. Kurt slowed down, hanging his head. He was feeling terrible about the grapes he'd smashed into the bench. Blaine leaned over and kissed him.

"Stop. I cleaned the bench, no worries. It was mostly my fault, honey," Blaine said softly. He looked into Kurt's eyes and smiled. Kurt couldn't help his lips curling up in a little smile at Blaine calling him the pet name usually reserved for Danny.

"I'm still sorry."

"I forgive you. Now, let's go on from here like we agreed. Right?" Blaine asked, his big hazel eyes melting Kurt's heart.

"Yes, baby. You and me," Kurt agreed. Then he smiled a bit bigger. "And Danny, too." That brought a smile from Blaine.

"There's something I want to show you," Blaine said, taking Kurt's arm once again and walking to the other side of the arbor and through the east gate. This alcove in the garden was surrounded by roses and had another stone bench in the center. Blaine sat down on the bench so they could look out over the ocean, patting the seat next to him. Kurt sat down and leaned on Blaine. He looked at Blaine's face, then at the direction his lover was looking.

On the wall he saw heart rocks. Large ones, small ones, all colors of heart-shaped rocks. Some made of granite, some of jasper, agate, quartz and so many that he didn't know the names of half of them. They were put together like bricks with mortar between them. He looked down to the ground to see very large ones making up the path, all set into the ground like paving stones.

"Blaine? When did you do this?" Kurt asked.

"Every year since that summer. I don't know why, but it seemed important. I saw heart rocks wherever I went. Then after we broke up – I was putting them here for you, angel. It made the hurt less to think that some day you might come here and see these..." Blaine disclosed.

Kurt stood up, walking along the low wall, touching a heart rock here and there.

"I can't believe you did this...why show it to me tonight? We've been here for days."

"Kurt, it's June first. It's her day," Blaine said, getting up to come closer to Kurt.

"My mom...how did you remember?" Kurt was aghast.

"I remember everything, Kurt." Blaine said, taking Kurt in his arms.

"Thank you..."

Blaine just nodded.

"Let's go to bed, baby," Kurt said, taking Blaine's hand once again and going back inside the house.

* * *

The next morning, Kurt woke up first as usual. He looked over at Blaine to find he was shivering under the warm blankets.

"Hey, baby, are you cold?"

Blaine sneezed hard and held his chest, coughing until he'd lost his breath and gasped for air.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked, placing a hand on his head and pulling it back. "Whoa, you're hot!"

"I'm okay," Blaine demanded, but lay back on the pillow. He was pale and his breath was scratchy and rough.

"Oh, baby, you are sick," Kurt said, scooting back a bit.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

Kurt covered his mouth to keep the giggle from emerging. Just as he was settling back on the propped-up pillows he heard Danny calling from down the hallway.

"Daddy! Call the am-bli-ence! I'm sick!" the little boy tried to shout, but broke into a choking cough.

"I'll go get him, Blaine. You just stay right there in bed," Kurt ordered. Blaine was too sick to argue and closed his eyes instead.

"Hey, buddy, what's going on?" Kurt asked, sitting on the side of the mattress.

"I'm sick. My froat hurts and I keep coughin'. My pillow is too hot and I want _Daddy_ ," he whined, turning over in bed to face the wall. Kurt couldn't help smiling at the way Danny couldn't pronounce the 'TH' sound.

"Oh, I'm sorry you're sick. Here, let me carry you in to your daddy's bed. He's sick, too," Kurt told the boy. Danny turned back, wiping his face.

"Hey, what is this? Tears? What's wrong, sweetheart?" Kurt asked.

"Where's my teddy bear?" Danny asked, then broke into a fit of coughing once again.

"He's right here. I can carry you in to your dad if you'd like," Kurt offered again. Danny stretched out his arms and Kurt picked him up, grabbing the teddy bear with his other hand and took the little guy in to his father, tucking him in bed.

"You sick, too, honey?" Blaine asked his son.

"Yeah. My froat hurts and the coughin' hurts, too," Daniel complained, leaning on his father as Blaine put his arm out to cuddle him.

"I'm going to go get you guys something for your throats. I'll be back in two shakes of a lamb's tail," Kurt said, waiting for Danny to laugh at the silly description, but the boy just looked up at him with his big hazel eyes that looked just like his father's.

Down in the kitchen, Kurt found some honey and lemon juice and mixed them together. He divided this into two little glass jars and added whiskey to Blaine's. Then he got some orange juice and put the pitcher on a tray with two glasses. He added bottles of tylenol and children's tylenol, made toast spread with raspberry jelly and two cups of hot tea and took it all upstairs.

Both of the Anderson men were asleep, but he woke them to at least take the tylenol and drink the orange juice. When they were done they had both nibbled at the toast but not really eaten much.

"Okay, here's the best thing for sore throats. You need to gargle with salt water. My dad swears by this," Kurt told them. He got Blaine to try it, but Danny was just too young to understand the mechanics of gargling.

"Here, sweetheart, take a spoonful of this and your throat will feel better," Kurt said, giving Danny a few spoons of the honey-lemon syrup. Then he dosed Blaine with the other jar containing whiskey with the honey and lemon. Blaine smiled, remembering his grandmother using the same home cure on him.

"All right. I'm going down to make chicken soup. You two sickies get some sleep. Here's a bell to ring if you need me," Kurt told Danny, setting the antique dinner bell on the bedside table. He went over to Blaine's side and made sure his cell phone was in easy reach, along with the orange juice.

Kurt kissed both father and son on their curly heads and went downstairs to start the soup.

* * *

Kurt walked quickly along the path to the lighthouse, careful not to slip on the damp patches, and knocked on the giftshop door. It was just a few moments before Judy Towse-McPhee opened the door. She was in her usual floral patterned dress, the apron tied on as if she had just stepped away from her kitchen.

"Ah, Kurt. How are you this bright morning?"

"Well, _I'm_ fine, but Blaine and Danny are both sick. They have bad colds with sore throats. I made them cough syrup using my dad's recipe – honey, whiskey and lemon juice - but I thought I'd make some chicken soup. There is no chicken in the freezer and I didn't want to leave long enough to go to the next town for groceries. I was wondering..."

"Say no more, I understand. Here, step into the kitchen a moment," she coaxed the worried man. "I have a chicken in the freezer and here are some herbs and leeks for the broth. Ah, do you have onion, celery and carrots?" she asked.

"Yes, I have all of that at home," Kurt said.

"Good. Can you make the soup or do I need to come?" Judy asked, her eyes showing her worry.

"No, I can make soup. Thank you so much, you are a life-saver," he told the old woman, hugging her with one arm.

"Oh, I'm just doing what any neighbor would do, sweetie. Now, go back and take care of your family," she said, smiling. "Call me if you need anything, Blaine has my number."

"Thank you again," Kurt smiled, blushing at the thought of them being a family soon. Then he hurried back to the path to get back to his boys.

"Oh, Mr. Kurt, this is good. It makes my throat not hurt so bad," Danny said, taking another spoonful of the chicken soup. He'd finished his bowl and was getting sleepy again.

Blaine was still trying to eat his own bowl of the delicious soup, but kept dribbling it on his pajamas. His hands were trembling.

"Here, baby. I'll help," Kurt offered, taking the spoon and feeding Blaine the soup. The man could hardly keep his eyes open long enough to swallow before dozing off. Kurt fed him about half the bowl before Blaine slid back down in the bed, sound asleep.

"Rest easy, baby," Kurt whispered, kissing his forehead.

Over the next two days, Kurt nursed the two ailing Andersons. He made soup, brought them medicine and dosed them with his homemade cough syrup.

It was kind of boring being all by himself while Blaine and Danny slept, so Kurt tried to fill the hours. He got out his camera and took photos of the house and everything he could find within walking distance, then added some heart-shaped rocks to the garden, went beach combing and found a small berry basket full of sea glass. He picked berries and rose hips and went shopping for groceries in the next town.

The last day the boys were in bed, Kurt got out all the canning supplies and made several kinds of jams and jellies. Jewel-toned glass jars of blackberry, strawberry, marionberry, blueberry, and raspberry jams filled a cupboard. He made a marmalade of tangerines and rose hips and dried more rose hips to take home to make tea. Then he started on the grapes. He made jelly, jam, and juice. By the time those were done, he'd discovered a crabapple tree and stripped it of the ripe fruit. These made a nice tart jelly that rivaled conventional apple jelly and he made a dozen jars of spiced apple butter, too.

Kurt began to wonder if they would ever be able to eat enough toast and biscuits to use all of the canned jars he'd made, but decided they could give them as Christmas presents. Oh! And he could take some over to Judy! She might like some jelly since she was the one to help him yesterday. Kurt sat down for a moment, happy at the thought of coming here year after year with Blaine and Danny as a family. That thought warmed his heart.

Kurt was washing up another batch of dishes when he heard small footsteps coming down the stairs. He grinned to himself, realizing how much he missed the little boy with the giant curiosity.

"Hi, Mr. Kurt-Angel," Daniel said, coming into the kitchen in his pajamas although it was two in the afternoon.

"Well, hello, Daniel. How are you feeling?" Kurt asked, putting out his arms and feeling a warm burst of happiness when the boy ran over to hug him.

"I'm all better. My froat doesn't hurt any more and there is no coughin'. And I don't think I can eat another bite of chicken soup," he complained.

"Oh! I'm sorry," the boy corrected himself, "Your chicken soup is the best, but my tummy wants something else. My Bumblebee Kittens want to feed my mouth a sandwich or a wobster roll," Danny confided in his guardian angel.

"Well, I'll just see what we can do about that!" Kurt grinned, going over to the refrigerator to forage for a nice lunch. Nothing spicy or dairy he thought, still careful of Danny's delicate stomach.

"How about...some eggs? I can make scrambled eggs with biscuits and jam?" he offered. Danny's eyes widened and his mouth curled into a smile.

"Yeah, that sounds good," the little boy said with enthusiasm. "Can I help?"

"Sure. I'm going up to see if your daddy is hungry, too. Here's a glass of grape juice, I'll be right back."

Blaine was just waking up, his arms up as he stretched his weak muscles. He had been sick for...days?

"Hi, baby. How are you feeling?" Kurt asked as he came into the room and sat on the bed. Blaine's fingers waved as he tried to coax Kurt near.

"I'm much better, thank you. Where's Daniel?"

"He's down in the kitchen drinking grape juice. He came down because his Bumblebee Kittens wanted to feed his mouth some substantial food. Let's just say that he's had enough chicken soup to last for a while," Kurt giggled.

"Oh, I see. I kind of feel the same way. I'm starting to gurgle when I walk. What are you guys going to have for lunch?"

"Lunch? You slept through lunch, babe. Nothing until dinner," Kurt teased. Blaine gave him the look with his big hazel eyes and Kurt's heart melted as predicted. "Okay, we're having eggs and biscuits with jam."

"Oh, I don't think we have any jam...we'll have to use honey I guess."

Kurt laughed.

"Oh, don't bet on it," he said. Blaine gave him a look with raised eyebrows to which Kurt replied, "You'll see."

Blaine was dressed in his robe and slippers when he reached the kitchen, a bit unsteady on his feet. He sat down and then looked at the counter. There were dozens and dozens of small glass canning jars filled with a rainbow of jellies, jams, and butters. His eyes got big and he looked over at Kurt.

"You did all this? How long have I been sick?" Blaine asked.

Kurt laughed.

"Just three days, babe. I know it _seemed_ like a lot longer..."

"Did you do this all by yourself?" Blaine asked.

"Judy came over one morning to show me how to do it. I'd done some canning with my grandmother, but that was a while ago. I remembered once we got started. She's busy now that the tourists are coming, but I was fine on my own. Now, what kind of jam or jelly do you guys want on the biscuits?"

They sat in the warm kitchen eating scrambled eggs and biscuits with blueberry jam, talking about all the things they had done that week. Danny was happy he'd been able to go to see fairy houses, the lighthouse, and the aquarium. He'd had such a great time it was sad they were going back home. He sat and looked at his dad and then at Kurt before he burst into tears.

Kurt sighed. Could there be one day in their lives that one of them wouldn't end up an emotional mess? They'd cried enough tears between them to fill an ocean.

Blaine picked up his son, cuddling him close until the boy had gathered himself enough to speak. Danny's crying turned into sobs and finally to just a few sniffles.

"Okay, honey, can you tell Daddy what's wrong?" Blaine asked, giving his son a kiss on top of his curly head.

"I don't want to go back to New York, Daddy. Please, can we live here now? I mean _all the time_ , not just sometimes?" the little boy begged, his swollen red eyes looking up at Blaine.

"I'm sorry honey, but Daddy needs to work so we can have money to eat and pay bills. Maybe we can come more often? I can try to do that," Blaine bargained. He hated to see his son like this when they packed to go back to New York. It didn't make sense. Danny had never been this upset about going back.

"No...I want to stay here. Please, Daddy, _please_?" Danny wept, clinging to his father.

Kurt looked at Blaine and nodded his head towards the crying boy, then held his hands out – asking silently if he could try to make sense of this. Blaine pulled Danny back and turned him to face Kurt.

"C'mere, buddy," Kurt cooed, holding out his hands. Daniel jumped over to his lap and his little arms went up and around Kurt's neck, his face in Kurt's shirt.

"Hey, do you want to tell us _why_ you don't want to go back to New York?" Kurt asked, his arms around the little boy, his hand rubbing Danny's back to try to give him some comfort.

"I don't want to have to go back to the preschool. They _losted_ me. What if you aren't there to find me this time, Mr. Kurt-Angel?" Danny sobbed, his little body beginning to shake.

"Oh, honey, you never have to go back to that place. Ever. Okay?" Blaine offered, his hand on Danny's chin to get him to look up at his father. "I promise, you will never have to go there again."

Danny nodded, but his sobbing didn't stop.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked and the boy held on tighter. "Tell me what's going on, Danny. We can't help if you don't tell us what's wrong."

"Daddy said there are things we shouldn't wish for. I wanted a sister, but Daddy said we probably can't have one. I think what I want is like that," the boy sobbed.

Kurt looked at Blaine, a question in his eyes and Blaine blushed.

"It wasn't the right time, honey. Do you still want a sister? Is that why you're crying?" Blaine asked.

Danny sat up, reluctantly letting go of Kurt's neck but keeping his fist wrapped in Kurt's shirt. He leaned back on Kurt's chest and pulled the man's arm around his waist so Kurt was still holding him close. Kurt leaned over and kissed the silky curls on Danny's head. Blaine sat closer, one arm around Kurt's back and one around Danny's middle so they were all holding each other. Danny smiled.

"This is why. I don't want Mr. Kurt-Angel to leave us. I want us to be a family, like Auntie Quinn and Uncle Cooper and Ginny. If we go back to New York, we won't live together any more," Danny said, looking up at the two men.

"What if we did live together, if we decided to be a family in New York, too?" Blaine asked his son.

The sun came out on Danny's face. His smile was huge and the tears stopped.

"Really, Daddy?"

"Maybe, why don't you ask Kurt yourself? Maybe he'll say 'yes'," Blaine coached.

Danny turned to Kurt, put both of his arms back around him.

"Mr. Kurt-Angel? Would you like to be in our family? Would you come and live with us? You can share Daddy's room just like you did here." Daniel sat quietly, waiting for an answer.

"Would that be okay with you, Blaine?" Kurt asked.

"Yes, I think it would," Blaine said being very serious in front of Daniel.

Danny got up on his knees and pulled his father close, whispering in his ear.

"Daddy, kiss him! I know he'll agree if you kiss him, I think he likes to kiss," Daniel said in a whisper-shout.

"Okay, Danny. We can each give him a kiss on his cheek, okay?" Blaine agreed. Danny nodded and they both kissed Kurt on his cheeks. The man blushed.

"Then yes, I would love to come live with you, Danny, and yes, I would love to be in your family," Kurt said.

Danny got down and danced around the room.

"Yippeee!" he shouted and went back to pull his dad and Kurt to their feet to dance with him.

"If Mr Kurt-Angel is in our family, can I have a sister? Will we get the same Earth-mother that cooked me get us a sister, or do we have to have a different one for girls?" Danny asked, his eyes still bright with delight.

"Earth-mother?" Kurt asked, giving Blaine a quizzical look.

"Oh, he means 'birth mother'," Blaine translated, then turned to Danny. "That is something we will all need to talk about for a while. Okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," Daniel grinned. "Then can we name her Charlotte after the new princess?" he asked.

"All in good time, honey," Blaine said, patting his son's shoulder.

Kurt wiped at his eyes and Blaine came over to hold him close in a hug.

"Hey, angel, what's wrong?" he whispered quietly.

"Nothing is wrong – I'm just so happy," Kurt smiled. He kissed Blaine's lips softly and hugged him close again. Blaine blinked a few tears from his own eyes and hugged Kurt back.

* * *

Back in New York, Kurt asked Blaine if it was okay for him to drop by his studio to check on things. His neighbor had been taking care of his cat while Kurt was gone, but he wanted to check on things himself and let the neighbor know he was back.

Blaine and Danny were both sleeping when Kurt pulled up to the curb in Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood and parked the Navigator. He kissed Blaine gently to wake him up.

"Oh, Kurt...I guess I fell asleep. Are we home?" Blaine asked, stretching his arms and yawning.

"We're at my studio. I have a small kitchen and a bed in the studio – we can make a little something to eat before going back to your apartment," Kurt offered.

"Sounds good. I bet Danny is hungry," Blaine agreed and stepped from the SUV. It took a moment, but he finally looked up to see the building and gasped.

"Kurt? Isn't this...?"

"Yeah, the loft we lived in when we went to college. I...ummm...well, I moved back into it after the break-up and then I just decided to buy it. I know it's lame, but..." Kurt blushed. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to bring Blaine here.

"Wow...yeah, I'd love to see it. I'll get Danny," Blaine said, opening the back door to unbuckle his son. He followed Kurt to the freight elevator and they went up to the loft. Kurt took a deep breath and opened the door.

Blaine stepped inside, still holding his sleeping son.

"Here, let me put him on my bed," Kurt offered. He walked over to a wall that had been built in the years after Blaine had gone. The loft had curtains to section off the bedrooms before, but Kurt had spent many long days redesigning the space.

Blaine followed Kurt into the bedroom and they put Danny in the daybed, covering him up to finish his nap.

"My God, Kurt. This is amazing!" Blaine enthused. He looked around at the printing and lithography equipment, the antiques, the prints on the walls. "You did all this?"

"I had a lot of time on my hands," Kurt said, looking sheepish. He was waiting for Blaine to say something about Kurt's inability to let go of the past, but the man didn't say anything approaching that.

"And these...the Michael Parkes lithographs...you kept these?" Blaine asked, but it was a rhetorical question. He walked closer and touched the frames. "Oh, God...I remember the day we got these. At the flea market. I'm afraid I must have lost the harlequin sculpture lamp in a move quite a while ago." Blaine frowned, trying to recall when he had last seen the lamp he'd bought the same day they got the Parkes lithographs at the Chelsea Flea Market.

Kurt smiled and came over to put his hands on Blaine's shoulders. He turned the man towards the small alcove he used as a sitting room for clients. Blaine gasped.

"Y-you s-still have it?" Blaine stuttered. There was the lamp in question, sitting on the table between the two easy chairs.

"I could never let it go, baby. It was like a piece of you and I couldn't bear to sell it," Kurt told him, turning him back to give him a long kiss. Blaine's arms went around Kurt's neck as he deepened the kiss, causing the slim man in his arms to moan.

"Hey, we have a sleeping little boy in the next room. Let's keep it chaste," Blaine said, then kissed Kurt again.

"So, since I have the loft, I don't mind letting my apartment go and moving in with you or we can find a new place," Kurt said, excited to be moving in with the love of his life once again.

"Either way, angel...I'm happy anywhere as long as I have you," Blaine said, moving closer to kiss Kurt again. He could keep kissing this beautiful man for the rest of his life.

As Kurt's hands roamed Blaine's body, his moans became loader so Kurt took it on himself to silence his lover with a deep kiss keeping his hands moving lower. Cupping Blaine's impressive bulge made the man return to the present as he realized that his son may hear them.

"Kurt, Danny may hear us!"

"Then stay quiet," Kurt suggested as he knelt down and undid Blaine's jeans.

Blaine took a deep gulp of air as he watched Kurt, gripping his chestnut hair to ground himself and prayed to whoever was listening that Danny would remain asleep.

Kurt wasted no time, licking his way from root to tip before engulfing Blaine's cock. He bobbed his head up and down a few times before sucking gently on the tip and swirling his tongue around the engorged head. It did not take long before Blaine tugged on Kurt's hair to warn him that he was close, Kurt sucked harder until he could feel Blaine's warm seed coating his throat.

"Daddy, where are we?" Danny asked to a very relieved Blaine as he finished tucking himself in.


	14. Chapter 14 - Epilogue

**The Beach House – Chapter Fourteen – Epilogue**

 **New York City, December 24th, 2024**

"We're going to be right there in just a second, honey," Blaine said to his son as they rode up on the elevator from the basement parking garage to the fourth floor where the hospital nursery was located. Danny was excited to see his new baby sister. Being a five years old, this was the best present he could imagine.

The elevator stopped on the ground floor and an older man got on. He told everyone who would listen that he was here to see his new grandchild and he was overjoyed about it. He turned as he stood there, speaking before he saw who was in the elevator car with him.

"I'm going to see my first granddaughter – a little girl..." he stopped, looking at Blaine. Blaine tried to cover his grin.

"We're going to see her, too, Grandpa Burt!" Danny squealed.

Burt held out his hand to shake Blaine's.

"Congratulations, Blaine – and Daniel, too. Is Kurt with her now?" Burt asked. He'd come all the way from Lima to see this baby.

"Yeah, I couldn't get him to come home to eat, so Daniel and I made him some lunch to bring back," Blaine explained, lifting the paper bag he was holding.

Burt laughed.

They stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall to the nursery, Danny dancing on ahead. He knew the way, having been here several times with one or the other of his fathers.

"Papa!" Danny shouted when he saw Kurt, only to be shushed by everyone around him. He stopped and hung his head as he remembered he was supposed to be quiet here. Large, warm hands picked him up, holding him close. Blaine cuddled his son to him, holding him securely as they walked to the nursery.

"Kurt, how is she?" Blaine asked, even though he'd just seen and held her less than an hour ago. Kurt indulged him, finding Blaine's excitement adorable.

"She just finished a bottle and now she needs her diaper changed before she takes a nap," he answered, coming over to hug the three men in his life: Burt first, then Danny, and finally his husband, Blaine.

 _ **That morning**_

" _Hurry!" Kurt urged his husband along the corridor of the hospital near their townhouse in New York City._

" _I'm going as fast as I can, angel...we still have a few minutes they said," Blaine answered, but managed to speed up a bit. He didn't want to be late._

 _They rounded a corner to the maternity wing and stepped up to the desk to check in._

" _Get your scrubs on in there and then come back out here and I'll take you in," the nurse told the two men, pointing to the changing room. She knew them from last night when they had finally left after their surrogate had been in labor for several hours._

 _Back again, the nurse took the new daddies into a room down the hall and asked them to sit. She left and was back in a moment, a smile on her face._

" _They're just getting her cleaned up. Congratulations, you are brand new daddies!" she said, giving them a smile before leaving the room._

 _After a while another nurse entered the room pushing a clear plastic bassinet on a metal cart. Inside was a little bundle wrapped in a pale pink blanket._

" _Who's first?" he asked, smiling at the men._

" _Papa, you should hold her first," Blaine offered. He'd held Daniel in his first few moments of life and knew what a thrill it was to hold a new baby. Kurt held out his arms, nervous to touch this new baby girl. The nurse lifted the tiny bundle out of the bassinet and set her in her Papa's arms. He pulled back the blanket so Kurt could see her._

" _Oh, my...look, Blaine...so beautiful," he said._

" _Just hit the call button if you need me," the nurse told them and left so the new daddies could visit with their daughter._

" _You're sure about the name?" Blaine asked, looking at the little curls of red hair that dusted the top of her head._

" _If you like it?" Kurt said._

" _Yes, she looks like a Charlotte, doesn't she?" Blaine observed. Kurt nodded. The name was Daniel's suggestion – he had loved the name of the new British princess since he had heard it two years ago._

 _Kurt set her gently on his lap, unfolding the blanket and then removing all of her clothes. He put a dry diaper on her, Blaine kibitzing and getting a look from Kurt as if to say he was perfectly capable of changing a diaper. Quinn had made him practice on one of her daughter's dolls just last week. Then he got the tiny baby nightgown out that he had embroidered with forget-me-knots and put that on her._

" _Oh, she looks so sweet in that," Blaine cooed. He was very excited to have a daughter. "You know, her hair is a bit wavy - not curly like Danny's was. I think it will turn chestnut like yours, angel. She already has your nose."_

 _Kurt rolled his eyes._

" _She has her own nose! I can never see another person in a baby like everyone else seems to be able to. No, Charlotte has her own hair and nose. She is so pretty she doesn't need to look like anyone else," he said with finality._

 _Kurt held her close, touching her fingers and toes and smiling._

" _Okay, Daddy, sit down and I'll hand her to you," Kurt said, smiling up at Blaine when he came over to sit in the rocker. Charlotte opened her eyes and blinked. She made a soft cooing noise and then opened her mouth, reaching towards Blaine's chest._

" _Sorry, baby girl – I'm not a mommy, but I do have a bottle for you," Blaine said. He wished the surrogate would have let Charlotte breast feed for a while, but he understood why she had declined the request. He put the bottle next to the baby's lips and she latched on, her eyes opening wide as she drank._

 _The two daddies stayed with Charlotte for a few hours, mostly just watching her sleep. Finally Blaine stood up._

" _I'm going to go get Daniel from Quinn's. I bet he wants to meet his little sister."_

" _Sure. My dad should be here pretty soon. He sent a text a while ago saying he was at the airport but he was taking a taxi," Kurt said._

 _Blaine leaned down to kiss Kurt once more before he left._

* * *

 **Anderson-Hummel Townhouse on 170th, New York - April 2025**

It was the first picnic of the year. Blaine and Kurt had packed a lunch and included a few napkins and things to have for lunch in the park. Kurt was busy getting long tights on the baby and giving her a tiny kiss to her cheek.

"Are you ready, Papa?" Daniel asked, anxious to leave the house.

"Yes. I was just putting together a few things to put in the diaper bag for Charlotte. Daddy is getting the picnic basket ready. Change your shoes before we leave, honey, those sandals aren't quite warm enough for a New York spring," Kurt smiled at his son.

"Okay, Papa. Can I hold Charlotte when we get to the park? Can I push her in the stroller?" Daniel asked, excited to be going on this picnic.

"We're not taking the stroller, but I was hoping you would hold her in the wagon and I could pull it? Charlotte is so lucky to have a big brother like you."

"Yes! I'll go get my other shoes so I can be ready, Papa," Danny said before disappearing down the hall to his room.

Kurt took advantage of Danny being gone from the room and gave his husband a passionate kiss which was returned with relish. Blaine kissed along Kurt's jaw and down his neck, sucking lightly on the tender skin. It was hard for the two men to pull away from each other when they heard Danny coming back down the hall.

"I love you, angel," Blaine whispered into Kurt's ear, the warm breath sending shivers down Kurt's spine.

"I love you, too," Kurt returned, shifting to say it into Blaine's ear before caressing his waist and sliding his hand down Blaine's jeans to squeeze a cheek before Daniel could turn the corner. Blaine laughed at the panic on Kurt's face when they heard Daniel's footsteps.

"He's going to kindergarten next fall," Blaine reminded Kurt when he heard the man whine under his breath at being interrupted. "We can finish this tonight, angel," Blaine promised, bringing Kurt back closer by hugging him. Kurt kissed Blaine's neck and stood straight again, ready to pull the wagon to the park.

 **Near J Hood Wright Park, Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York – 2025**

Once they got to the park, they spread the tablecloth on the picnic table at the back of the pavilion. Kurt and Blaine were setting the food and dishes out when they heard their son whispering sincerely to his sister.

"And back there, behind the trashcan and the table? That is where I met my guardian angel who turned out to be Mr. Kurt-Angel. He saved me in a storm and Daddy loved him. So did I. We took him to Maine and he fell in love with us, too.

"Now, you haven't been to Maine yet, but we're going soon. Our house is on the ocean – that's a big lot of water that goes all the way to the other side of the world. We can pick berries and go beach combing and I'll help you find real treasures like pieces of jasper rock, and pretty shells, and the best colors of sea glass...I wish you had been at Daddy and Papa's and my wedding with me, I gave them rings under a big tunnel of pretty flowers and wore a suit just like theirs.

"Everyone laughed when Papa said he loved us and would we marry him and I said 'I do' too loudly before Daddy did and then we had a huge party and I danced with everyone! Everyone wanted to take me home with them especially Grandpa Burt but Daddy and Papa said no because I was forever theirs. Finding my Kurt-Angel was the best thing ever. And now we can make more great memories with you!"

 **~ THE END ~**

 **Author Note:**

I'd like to thank the moderators of the Klaine Reverse Bang! for letting me participate in the challenge,

Riverance for her beautiful artwork - check out her other art on DeviantArt.

Michelle for her diligent, amazing, and faithful editing of my chicken scratches - and for the two smutty-wonderful passage she wrote!

And to my biggest cheerleader, Lisa Renai.

Thank you all.


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